Tusu Dance: Popular Folk Dance of Natives of Sundarbans
Tusu Folk Dance is a popular dance form of native people of Sundarbans. After a wonderful village tour of Sundarbans during later part of the day we settled for a evening with bonfire and some folk dance program arranged for the guests of the resort.
The resorts there arrange for such performances by the locals for the tourists. Performed mostly as a group, it is done mostly during the harvest festival. Tusu is a tribal folk dance performed by both male and female members of the community. It is a festival to celebrate the heralding crop. Tusu dance originated during these celebrations.
With simple costumes of white sari with red border, neat hairdo decorated with flowers and feathers, they looked very graceful.
It was mesmerizing to see them perform rhythmically holding hands to ‘never heard before’ tribal songs. After a hectic day of touring around the islands of Sunderbans this was a wonderful treat to our tired nerves.
Tusu Folk Dance Sundarbans
Meet a Tusu folk dancer here: Faces of India 156
Tusu Festival is celebrated in Sundarbans when Makar Sankranti is being celebrated in rest of India in the month of January. They worship small figurines of Goddess Tusu with offerings of rice. All of them gather at a place and put up dance performances, sometimes competing with each other.
This dance is popular in other parts of West Bengal like in Purulia, Birbhum, and Medinipur. At the end of the festival the idol of Tusu Goddess is immersed in water like it is done during Durga Puja.
Hello Indrani
Thanks for sharing such beautiful Indain dance form. I had no idea about tusu dance. Dress costume is very beautiful and attractive.
Best Resort in Sunderbans
Every annual day in school we used to try and do different folk dances. Haven't seen this one but loved the color and the spirit.
Very attractive sarees. I'm sure the dance was also very attractive. Nice to hear about Tusu.
Wow beautiful pictures
Never knew of this dance! Now I know another fact of Incredible India 🙂
Nice post… Reminded me of the folk dances I used to participate in during school and college..:D
Coincidentally, I was reading about Sunderbans right now. I learnt that this place is called as 'Bhatir desh' by the locals, the place which comes into life due to the ebb tide. Loved to see the life at sunderbans in your photographs. 😀
You captured the dancers in their costumes beautifully. Very vibrant.
Nice pics shared..!
Graceful yes, I can almost hear the rhythmic beats
Tusu is the dance performances by the tribal's of Jharkhond, Bankura, Purulia during Mokar Sankranti. There are specified rhythms on Dhamsa and Madol for various timings and teethis. There are different rhythms for full moon evening, night and on day time etc. In Sunderbons I do not know any typical dance types.
Hello Indrani,
Imagining the tribal songs to go with the images of the dancers is nice, would have been very nice for you listening to sounds you had not heard before too.
What you describe and show with the photos reminds of the The Dance of The Little Swans in the Ballet Swan Lake.
4 dancers also emerge with hands joined, but in front, to perform as one unified group.
Their skill and harmony is mesmerizing to see.
Thank you for visiting me, and thank you for this interesting sharing.
So beautiful , so graceful.
So colorful and beautiful!
Very graceful, elegant, colourful!
Thanks for sharing.
Wil, ABCW Team
It is always interesting to see local culture. Great photos of the dancers.
Beautiful!
How lovely and colourful too.
i have bookmarked sunderbans as the next place to visit when we visit bangladesh.
Well shown.
Aloha from the land of Hula
I would love to see this dance in person, but your photos are beautiful substitute.
Lovely indeed!! I would love to see them in person, but your captures are — as always — the next best thing!!
how lovely are they.
I am reminded of my school days when I used to wear the red border white saree and participate in rabindra sangeet competitions..:)
Now those are some awesome ankle bracelets they're wearing. Nice shots!
I would love to see this performed in person. It looks as though it would be lovely…so glad to see you at my place, had lost track of you, now here you are…glad to see you again
Sandi
I never used to be much interested in dance, until I saw several in Chennai…and was hooked.
An interesting dance.