The Dandiya Raas is a stick dance played by a group of evenly numbered dancers, dancing in two concentric circular lines, with one line moving clockwise and the other moving counter clockwise. The dancers may twist, turn and sway and even change places depending on their ability and inclination
The Dandiya Raas is played by just men or just women and also by women and men together.
This mixed dancing is a unique achievement of this culture and shows great awareness of the relations between men and womenAs the dancers interact with each other when they click their Dandiyas, they have a few moments to acknowledge and greet most everyone who takes their place on the swirling dancing circles.
It is believed that the Raas dance, without sticks was originally performed by the Divine Krsna and the village girls of Vraj, the Gopis, in the forests of Vrandavan by the banks of the River Yamuna. The dance progressed from then with it being adpated for garba and other dances
The word Raas is derived from and linked to the word Rasa. Rasa is a complex term with several meanings however it may be taken to mean the nectar or essence of a thing. One rationale behind Rasa is that it allows the exposition and exhibition of various emotions and longings through art, in this instance the art of dance. The significance of Rasa is further explored in our section on the Natyashastra
When you observe Dandiya Raas danced with energy and passion it becomes obvious that the dance has martial origins and elements, evoking fighting with swords as the player warriors click and swipe with the sticks.. The dance is also performed as a mock fight to emulate the battle of the Goddess Durga against evil in many forms.In some regions of Gujarat the dance is performed by men in a martial style and manner
Much of the melody is similar to the music for garba. The words and themes relate mainly to Krsna, Radha and the Gopis, though they are extended to cover many aspects of love and longings, separation and sadnesses