Mando Dance

                           Goa Mando

Goa was influenced by the many foreign cultures that the city saw. The Portuguese were the important group whose influence can still be still in Goa – from small things to big things almost everything has a very Goan influence. The Mando dance is also one such dance, that has specific influences from the Portuguese culture, and still remains Indian.
Description
Almost a majority of the population of Goa practice Christianity and so invariably they are perform Mando dance at their most important and auspicious moments. This is practiced extensively in Goa, and even today there are some great singers and performers who have made a name for themselves in the field of Mando.
The Christians had a very elaborate marriage complete with artistic clothes and very European like procedures and this Mando fitted their culture perfectly. Since Mando is also a very slow dance form, with the accompaniment of singing melodious songs, this is a very church like song and choir performance.
At the event of the marriage or some other auspicious event, the head of the family, invites the Mando singer to the place of celebration. He arrives and starts his performance slowly. He starts singing and the song is in general about the goodness of Christ and requesting God to bless the newly married couple and shower all the good will and abundant blessings on them. The song of the Mando singer also describes the couple. Their characteristics and good nature is mentioned along with their achievements till date and this information is all gathered from the family members of the couple and their friends. So, this Mando song is very unique in nature and there is one song for every occasion and every couple.
Since the song and dance combination varies from couple to couple, there are people who did not put Mando on to the folk dance list earlier. However with the passage of time and with Mando being played regularly in Goan parties, the Mando dance has created the necessity to include it on the folk dance list of India.

Golf Dance

                                                                         Golf Dance

Golf dance also called "ribbon dance" is one of the popular folk dances of Goa. It is performed during the Shigmo festival in Phalgun month. Goan peasants mainly practice this dance after the harvest as a manifestation of their enjoyment. This dance has an affinity with tribal dance forms of Gujarat State. The dance is a major attraction during the festive season and it attracts audiences from various parts of the country.

Performance of Golf dance
Generally, this folk dance is performed in a group. The dance can be performed by a group of males or females. Each dancer holds a colourful cord which hangs at the centre point of the 'mand', which is the place of dance performance. The dancers start dancing intricately forming a beautiful, colourful, intricate braid at the end of the first movement. The music begins once again and the dancers reverse the pattern of dancing in such a skilful manner that at the end of the second movement, the braid gets unrevealed and all the cords are loose and single once again.

There are four different braids of Goff dance. The songs that are sung during the dance performance are mostly devoted to Lord Krishna.  Musical Instruments of Golf dance Ghumat, Samael and Surta Shansi or melodic musical instruments accompany the dance performance. Costume of Golf dance The costume of this folk dance is varied however all the attires are traditional. Some male groups prefer to wear kurta - pajama and some kurta dhoti. One the other hand, some female dance groups clad themselves in ghagra-choli while some sari.

Dekhni Dance

                                                                     Dekhni Dance

Dekhni means 'bewitching beauty' in Konkani. This song and dance is performed by a row of girls or women only, carrying panttis (small earthen oil lamps). The dance gestures are based in traditional Indian classical dance.'Hanv Saiba Poltodi Vetam' (Sir, I am going across the river), one of the most popular songs, is about a devdasi (servant of God) girl who performs dances in temples and social ceremonies like weddings. She approaches a riverbank to take a ferry to the other sode where she has to dance at the wedding of 'Damu'. The boatman refuses and she pleads with him, even offering him her golden earrings anklet and so on. Only a few original dekhni songs remain.

Ghode Modni

                                                                       Ghode Modni

Ghode Modni is literally a dance involving horse-like movements. It is a spectacular warrior dance commemorating the battle victories of the Ranes, the Maratha rulers of the Sattari taluka, over the Portuguese. This dance is popular in Bicholim, Pernem and Sattari talukas. It is performed during the Shigmo festival. The Kshatriya (warrior class) dancers wear costumes similar to that of Rajput chieftains with a Peshwai pughree as headgear, fix at the waist a mock wooden horse which is beautifully bridled and decorated, and wear anklet bells. Holding the bridle in one hand and brandishing a sword with the other, the dancers move to and fro to the beat of dhol drums, tashe and cymbals,to recreate the prancing of war horses.

Dance Culture of Goa

                                                                   

                                                                Musal Dance of Goa

Musal dance seems to be a victory dance. It celebrates  the victory of Harihar, the son of Bukka 1 of Vijayanagar. The Prince is mentioned in the opening of the song and is addressed as VIRA AND SINHA. But the later part of the verse is much devoted to the Audumber and its divine powers which Hindu women worship.

At the historical village of Chandor in the Kshatriya (warrior) caste villager's courtyard this Mussal (pounding mace) march cum dance is performed on the second day of Goan  Carnival.' Musal' - a war weapen in medieval times, is performed with full Hindu martial even though the Kshatriyas of Chandor converted to Christianity long ago. The dance-cum-song is performed to celebrate the victory in the early 14th century of the Hindu King of Vijaynagar, Harihar, over the Cholas.

With a spring in step and pestle in hand

place:- Cota, Chandor

It's the second day of Carnival. The serene village is already enveloped by the moonless night. An all-male group, all Catholics, decked in traditional attire- a dhoti, a jacket, a colourful turban, ghungroos (ankle bells) on the left foot- and carrying a musoll (pestle), starts gathering at the mandda khuris. The village suddenly comes live with the clanging of the bells at the small chapel. After lighting candles and reciting a Christian prayer before the cross, the mussol dance is performed by pounding pestles into the ground. The dance over, the performers then march in procession holding lit torches to the San Tiago chapel, where the sequence is repeated. From here, they sing the musoll song.