Nepalese dance

The tradition & historical record

Dance (Nepal Bhasa:प्याखं/प्याखङ, Nepali: नृत्य/ नाच) in Nepal is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. It comprises numerous styles, including folk, ethnic, and classical to modern dances. ¹

Legends state that dances in this country originated in the abode of Lord Shiva — the Himalayas, where he performed the tandava dance. This indicates that dance traditions of Nepal are very ancient and unique. With altitudes and ethnicity, the dances of Nepal slightly change in style as well as in the costumes. ¹

Bhairab Pyakhan: popular among Newar community in Kathmandu Valley. Kumha Pyakhan: is a sacred dance of the Tuladhar and Kansakar caste groups of the Newars of Kathmandu. The dance is performed in temple and market squares during religious festivals. Lakhey Pyakhan: performed during the Yenya festival in the month of September. Nava Durga Pyakhan: starts from mohani and ends in Bhagasti. It is famous around Newar community in Bhaktapur. Pancha Buddha Dance Gathu Pyakhan: is a sacred masked dance of the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Kartik Naach: is a Hindu dance performed by the Newar people of Lalitpur, in the month of Kartik. Baalan Dance: It is performed by depicting the character of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna etc. especially by brahmin and Chhetri community. Chyabrung Naach: the traditional dance of the Limbu people, living mainly in the Eastern part of Nepal. Deuda naach: popular in Karnali and far-west provinces. Dhan Nach: the traditional dance of the Limbu people, living mainly in the Eastern part of Nepal. Dishka Dance: performed at weddings, includes intricate footwork and arm movements. Gauna Dance: It belongs to the Mithila tradition and is popular in the Janakpur region and is performed on religious and festive occasion. Ghatu Nritya: performed among the Gurung community in western Nepal. Hurra Dance: performed by Eastern Magar community Hanuman Nritya: Popular in central Nepal Jhijhiya Dance: popular in the western and central Terai among Maithili community and some Bhojpuri communities of Madhesh province. Women put holey earthen pot with fire inside, on their head and dance in a group during Dashain. Jatjatin Dance: It is based on folk songs of Maithili and Tharu community which they perform from Shrawan Purnima to Bhadra Purnima. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dance in Nepal”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Nepalese dance is aspect of Nepalese culture, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²