The desert region comprising the whole of Rajasthan and Gujarat can be divided into two parts of the sake of convenience. These are the Great Desert and the Little Desert. The former extends from the Luni River in Rajasthan upto the edge of the Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat. The entire Rajasthan-Sindh frontier runs through it. The Little Desert sprawls from the river Luni between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur upto the northern wastes. This entire zone is totally sterile comprising rocky, arid, sandy land cut up by ridges and other wastes. South-east of the Aravali flow the Banas and the Chambal rivers making the land relatively fertile, green and hospitable. Again the Rann of Kachchh can be divided into Great Rann and Little Rann. The entire Rann is a vast stretch of salt-soaked wasteland.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan, a rainbow within Indian Union, the legendary land of Rajas and Maharajas, is the second largest State of the Indian Union. It is a country of sand dunes, desert and rocks interspersed with wonderful people, paiaces, forts, myriad colors, placid lakes, secluded sanctuaries, gardens, fertile tracts, forests and superb scenery. The Aravali ranges, one of the oldest on the planet, divide the State into ruggest south-east and sterile north-west. Its Thar Desert sprawls across the border for into Pakistan.
The spectacular best of Rajasthan can be seen and enjoyed in its folk dances, fairs and festivals. Each season has its plethora of folk-music, dances, fairs, festivals, ceremonies and rituals, and each occasion is a time of aesthetic expression of the genius and spirit of its exuberant culture. There is always a time for celebration, merry-making, frolick, fun and dancing. Rajasthan is the land of most ornate people and great oriental splendour. The people here still live in their picturesque legendary and historical past and that is why the country abounds in colors, gaiety.
Rajasthan is the home of the Rajputs, the heroic warrior clan, who ever preferred death to dishonour. They carried on and continued the martial, social and political traditions of their forefathers. Their towering individuality and valour have been instrumental in shaping the destiny of the country which has been in the melting pot several times since the days of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to our own days.
Ethnically, Rajasthan presents a picture of myriad colors, hues and shades in the form of its varied tribes. There are Bhils, Minas, Bhopas, Jats, Jogis, Gujjars, Baoris, Banjaras, Kalbelias, Kanjars, Sansis, Grasias, and many other professional communities of dancers, singers and performers. They all are gay, hardy, fun, dance and music-loving. Their stock of folklore, music and dancing is extensive and rich. The hard and hostile living conditions of Rajastan have shaped the life-style of different communities in a different manner in different regions of the State. Accordingly the catalogue of the Rajasthan folk-dances is endless.
 Ghoomar and Jhoomar are two most colorful dances of Rajasthan. Ghoomar is performed by women on the occasion of festivals like Teej and Gangaur and such other celebrations in village and town squares and courtyards of the houses. The ladies, dressed in customary colorful flowing skirts, choli and odhani and adorned with myriad silver and gold ornaments dance in a ring. This dance is found throughout the length and breadth of the State but its forms vary from place to place in accompanying songs and footwork. Marked by pirouettes, long and rapid swirls and dancing in a circle, Ghoomar is an extremely captivating dance. The only musical accompaniment is the singing and clapping of the dancers themselves.
Equally fascinating and colorful is Kachhi Ghori dance done by male professional performers. They ride the dummy ghoris or mares made of sticks and two baskets. The heads of the animals are prepared very artistically to create the impression of the real horses. The dancers, generally two or three in numbers, attach and adjust the horses to their waists very skillfully and dance and prance about merrily dressed like heroes with swords in their right hands. Dhol and a kind of trumpet called turahi are the accompanying instruments. They provide a rich entertainment by their mock fights and acts of chivalry on the occasion of marriages, etc., when they are engaged to delight the guests and other spectators.
The elaborate and ritualistic Tera Tali dance is performed by women folk. Two or three dancers squat on the floor with a number of small bronze cymbals tied to their various parts of the body and naked swords held between the teeth by each of the dancers. Their faces are veiled. They also have two-three small brass-pots each balanced on their heads one upon the other. With two cymbals in their hands they strike the other cymbals tied to the their bodies. It involves a lot of difficult, vigorous and complex sliding and moving on the ground in the squatting position. A man accompanies the dance on ektara, also provides vocal support by singing a song.
Khayal is a popular dance-drama of Rajasthan. It is generally performed by professional artistes. Its history is traced far back to four centuries from our times. The female roles are done by men. The theme, generally in ballad forms, is from the Hindu mythology, legend, chivalric lore and numerous social concerns and happenings. Thus, the thematic scope and range is wide enough. The people of Bhavai community, an offshoot of the Jats, performs these dance-dramas to the accompaniment of drum, sarangi and cymbals. Sometimes the undercurrent of satire is very bitter but it is enjoyed by all the cross-sections of audience in a good and humorous spirit. The romance of Dhola and Maru is another popular theme of the Bhavai dancers. The troupes travel from one village to another after the rainy season is over and entertain their patrons with the dance-drama full of music, mime, dance and acrobatics.
The Dandiya dance is another very popular dance-form of Rajasthan. It is a kind of Rasa-nritya done in a circle by a group of men with small sticks in their hands. They make pairs and strike the sticks in pairs which change with the progress of the dance. The drummer stands in the center of the ring and leads the performance with the rhythmic drumming. Though begun with simple shuffling of steps, the dance grows swifter and swifter with the faster beat of the drum. They dance round and round shouting in between "Ho-ho" to accentuate the emotion-charged atmosphere. The accompanying songs sung by the dancers revolve round Krishna legends. An expression of pure joy and rhythm of life, the Dandiya dance can be performed on any festive occasion, but is generally done on the occasion of Holi festival when the crop is ready for harvesting and the spring begins.
 The Kathputali dance is performed with string puppets. The director or the Kathputaliwalla manipulates the dances of the various puppets by their strings held in his hand. While he makes the puppets dance, his wife heroic deeds of the historical or legendary heroes. A Kathputali show generally begins after dinner at about eight in the night and lasts for about two hours.
The Pabuji-ki-par is another typical Rajasthani folk-form which is painted sung and danced. The story of Pabuji, the hero and Deval Devi, the heroine, is painted beautifully on a scroll. The scroll is hung on the wall and the story, in a ballad form, is sung and danced involving a lot of acting, mime, acrobatics and dancing. In this performance the Bhopa is assisted by his wife Bhopan. The song and dance drama is accompanied by a drum and a string instruments which like a sarangi is played by a bow. The final scene in which Deval Devi commits Sati following the defeat and death of noble and heroic Pabuji at the hands of Jind Raj is full of pathos and great tragic beauty. Ultimately they are shown reuniting in the heaven. The use of painted scroll coupled with abhinaya, music and dancing makes Pabuji-ki-par a unique Rajasthani multimedia folk-form.
Besides these there are many other dances done by various wandering tribes and nomads like Kalbelias (snake charmers), Nats, Doms, Kanjars, Banjaras, Sansis, Bhils, etc. For example, take the Kalbelia dance done to the accompaniment of a typical musical instrument called Pungi and a daphali. The Pungi is made of dried gourd and is played like flute. They sing tunes on the Pungi, play on the daphli and dance to the great delight of the spectators. A daphali is a small drum of a wooden frame held in one hand played by the palm and fingers of the other.
Gujarat
Gujarat in the northwest corner of India thrusts out into the Arabian Sea. Geographically it consists of three distinct parts - the main region with its big towns and cities, the peninsular Kathiawar or Saurashtra, and the Rann of Kachchh, a low lying marshy region. It is an ancient land and its history goes far back to legendary and prehistoric times beyond the Mohanjodaro and Harappan civilization to Mahabharata age or even earlier. Gujarat has been a great maritime and mercantile land since times immemorial.
 Ethnically, Gujarat is both rich and a colorful state. Inhabited by such tribes as Paradies, Meramis, Thebas, Kolis, Dangs, Ahirs, Vaghris, etc., it has also been a home of a number of professional dancers, singers, performers and musicians. Many other communities and sub-communities connected with agriculture and cattle-breeding complete its ethnical picture. Its various folk-forms are based on mythology, legend and religious themes. Many of the tribals and adivasis have much in common with the tribes and aboriginals of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and share in their religious practices and folk traditions. The Garba is a popular and well known women's folk-form of Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It is a Lasya nritya and its history is traced back in remote antiquity to the reign of Lord Krishna in Dwarka. Garba may be performed on several occasions but the chief one is the Navaratra celebrations at the beginning of Aswin before Dusserah festival. It takes its name both from the song which accompanies it and the garbi, an ornamented earthen pot with a light within which is ceremonially placed in every house during these nine days. The pot has its sides cut into beautiful floral and leaf designs. The pot, illuminated from inside, and its light filtering out through the cutout patterns, presents a charming sight.
The village belles carrying these garbi earthen-lamps on their heads in a procession go from one house to another performing the Garba dance. The leader of the troupe sings the first line of the song and is followed by its repetition by the rest in a chorus. The song is accompanied by dance and rhythmic clappings and beating of a drum (dholak). While dancing. The women bend gracefully sideways and the arms and hands sweep and sway beautifully sideways, upwards and downwards in order to keep the timing by clapping. It is a socio-religious dance in which every woman or girl can take part irrespective of caste or social status.
The Goph Gunthan dance is a folk-form of Saurashtra in which a braid of colored strings is woven and unwoven by the dancers resulting into complex and beautiful choreographical patterns. One end of the string is tied to a roof and the other is held by the dancers. These colored and tasseled strings are often decorated with mirrors and ribbons. This dance requires a lot of practice, precision and meticulous exactness.
The Tippani dance is done by women of a particular caste. It is a community dance in which the women beat and level up an imaginary floor with Tippanis or sticks with rounded bases and small bells at the top end. They dance in a circle or a semicircle. They dance round and round in a ring shaking their Tippanis in perfect unison and rhythm as they beat the floor. Their synchronized work movements, deft manipulation of belled sticks and dancing present a exuberant performance resulting in a great delight both to the dancers and the beholders. The Padhara dance is performed by fishermen. The fishermen in a group dance with sticks in their hands and imitate the action of rowing of the boat.
The Dandiya Rasa is most characteristic dance of Gujarat. It is performed mostly by men holding sticks with tiny bells tied to one end. They sing songs and strike their sticks rhythmically which produce sweet jingling sound because of their tiny bells. The dance in a circle begins with a simple shuffling of feet. The dance being associated with harvesting, reaping and sowing activities is performed on Basant Panchami, Navaratra and Sharad Purnima. The musicians standing outside the circle, accompany the dance on drums, etc. The dance involves complex circular movements in which various floor designs and patterns are formed resembling those painted on the walls of the mud houses in the villages. These designs are patterns traced out on the floor by the dancing feet and by the nimble and dexterous fingers on the hut-walls are considered to possess a great magical significances and auspiciousness. The accompanying songs are of great antiquity and have been traditionally handed down from one generation to another. In a Dandya Rassa-dance, the dancers have the opportunity to display their individual skills in solo and smaller dances performed within the larger circles.
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