Dances in Ladakh

There are many traditional dances in India’s Ladakh region. Every village has either a dance of its own or the custom of performing ancient steps and rhythms on special occasions to keep traditions alive. The Jabro dance, for example, belongs to the nomadic people of Tibetan origin who live high in the hills of Ladakh's Changtheng area.

Men and women use the Jabro dance in Ladakh and songs to celebrate Losar, the New Year, with an accompaniment from DaMians – 6-stringed instruments a little like guitars named ‘Da’ for sweet and ‘Mian’ for sound - and flutes.

The theme of the dances performed by the Lamas at Losar is almost invariably that of the struggle by good to overcome evil and the masks make it abundantly clear just which is being represented by any given individual! Watching Ladakhi women especially, perform a traditional dance, one cannot help but be impressed by the costumes and grace of movement.

The Drugpa-Rches is a dance in Ladakh performed by the vegetarian settlers of the Dras and Gorkhan areas of Ladakh who are of Aryan origin and is named for the fact that they were originally Drugpas or nomads. Adorned with silver ornaments and flowers, the men and women dance to the sound of Damman - a pair of kettledrums named Fo and Mo (being the two genders) played with little sticks called ‘Damshing’ and with Fo having a hole in the base that permits the addition of water to lower the sound – and Surna: a wind instrument that produces a droned chord.

Bagstonrches is the Ladakh dance of wedding and can go on for weeks! Both bride and groom join in the dance which is also usually performed to the accompaniment of the Damman and Surna. There are many typical dances of Ladakh. People enjoy dancing in Ladakh and tourists enjoy watching the dances in Ladakh.

When two men dressed as yaks start dancing in perfect synchronization with a gentle swaying rhythm, punctuated by leaps and circular dashes, always perfectly executed together, you know the traditional Yak Dance has begun and a woman dressed as a milkmaid will soon appear. The 'yaks' will ignore her and soon a 'milkman' joins the dance, equipped with a whip that he uses to great effect to 'control' the yaks and tae them away from the milkmaid, thus completing the dance.

Every year, in February, the masked dances of Dosmoche are performed in the Royal Courtyard at Leh, after a procession through the main bazaar led by Black Hat dancers and followed by everyone from Lamas in religious garb to locals decked out in their splendid traditional costume. The courtyard of the chapel beneath the gates of the palace reverberates with masked Lamas performing the ritual of the dance that is a drama as well as a religious event involving sacrificial offerings at its climax.

Amongst many other kinds, even a war dance is held at Hemis during the 'Feast of the Snowy Heights' as the Buddhist monks have woven local tradition into their religious festivals. There are many more dances in India’s Ladakhi region – too many to mention here. The best way to find out more is to visit and see the dances yourself!