Consider the following passage about a folk dance form of India : This dance is-performed solo or in group of 3 or 4 females essentially on the occasion of worship of goddess Manasa. As per mythology, Behulaa had to dance before the goddess Manasa to get back her husband’s (Lakhindar) life. The dancers while‘dancing leave their hair open. Another striking moment of this dance is dancing with Daa (sharp weapon used for sacrifice) and rotating of dancers’ head in rapid circular motion, with open tresses. Which one of the following dance form is described above ?

The passage describes the Deodhani dance, a traditional folk dance from Assam, primarily associated with the Darrang region. It is performed solo or in groups of three or four females during the worship of the snake goddess Manasa (also known as Maroi) [t1]. The dance is deeply rooted in the mythology of Behula, who danced before Manasa to restore the life of her husband, Lakhindar. A defining characteristic of Deodhani is the intense, trance-like state of the dancers, who leave their hair open and perform rapid circular head rotations [t1]. The performance also involves the use of a 'Daa' (a sharp sacrificial weapon), symbolizing the ritualistic and shamanistic origins of the dance. While other options like Padayani (Kerala) or Bagurumba (Bodo tribe) are significant folk dances, they do not share this specific mythological connection to Manasa or the distinct 'Daa' and tress-rotation elements.

Sources

1. [1] https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/204/download/466/DH_2011_1826_PART_A_DCHB_DARRANG.pdf