Lavani, a popular folk dance of Maharashtra

Folk dances represent the culture and lifestyle of people and most of them are performed during any festival occasions. Maharashtra, a state rich in art and culture has a varied folklore traditions. Lavani, one of the popular and main folk dances of the state performed to the enchanting beats of Dholak (a drum like instrument). Lavani  dance is a part of the popular dance-drama, Tamasha.

The word Lavani originates from the word Lavanya means beautiful. This art form dealt mainly performed to praise the beauty of a woman and carries the theme of romance or srinkar ras. Many famous Marathi poets like Honaji Bala, Prabhakar and Ramjoshi had contributed to the popularity of Lavani.

This video clip has been shot at Nishagandhi festival 2008 held at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala State, India.