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Though Dusserah
is the occasion of Dalkhai the most popular folk-dance of western Orissa,
its performance is very common on all other festivals such as
'Bhaijauntia', 'Phangun Puni', 'Nuakhai' etc. This is mostly danced by
young women of Binjhal, Kuda, Mirdha, Sama and some other tribes of
Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sundargarh and Dhenkanal districts of Orissa, in
which men join them as drummers and musicians.
A Fully Coordinated Dance
The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a
number of instruments known as 'Dhol', 'Nisan' (a typically giant sized
drum made of iron case), 'Tamki' (a tiny one sided drum 6" in
diameter played by two sticks), 'Tasa' (a one sided drum) and 'Mahuri'.
However, the 'Dhol' player controls the tempo while dancing in front of
the girls.
Themes & Forms of Dalkhai
It is known as Dalkhai because in the beginning and end of every stanza
the word is used as an address to a girl friend. The love story of Radha
and Krishna, the episodes from Ramayana and Mahabaharata, the description
of natural scenery are represented through the songs.
The young women dance and sing intermittently. The songs are of special
variety with the additive 'Dalkhai Bo', which is an address to a
girlfriend. While dancing to the uncanny rhythms of the Dhol, they place
the legs close together and bend the knees. In another movement they move
forward and backward in a half-sitting position. Sometimes they make
concentric circles clock-wise and anti-clock-wise.
The Dalkhai dance has several adjunctive forms known as 'Mayalajada',
'Rasarkeli', 'Gunji Kuta', 'Jamudali', 'Banki', 'Jhulki', 'Sainladi etc.
On account of its style, theme and performance Dalkhai is basically a
secular form.
The Costumes
The women generally dress themselves with the colourful Sambalpuri Sari
and wear a scarf on the shoulders holding the ends below in both the
hands. Bedecked with traditional jewelry their robust framers sustain the
strains of the dance for long hours.