Jhora & Jhumaila

Jhora, Jhumaila and Chanchari are the circle dances of Uttarakhand: large, slow-building rings of men and women who link arms and move together to a single drum and a shared song. They are the sociable heart of a hill fair.

In the Jhora of Kumaon, dancers form a big circle, rest their arms on each other's shoulders or clasp hands, and step and sway to the beat of the hurka while singing in call and response. The ring grows through the evening as more people join, which makes it as much a community gathering as a dance. It is central to fairs like the Syalde Bikhauti at Dwarahat.

Garhwal's Jhumaila and Chanchari work the same way, danced in a ring to seasonal and devotional songs, often by women. Thadya and Chaunphula are close cousins, tied to spring and to Baisakhi. In all of them the singing carries the dance: the words are about love, longing, the seasons and the gods, and the movement is unhurried and collective.