Gauri Dancers

Sep 17, 2021 - Oct 15, 2021

‘Gauri Dancers’ features a series of painted photographs by Waswo X. Waswo and Rajesh Soni. The Gauri Dance of Mewar is a centuries-old performance art tradition that is celebrated among the tribal communities of Rajasthan. The dancers are all men or young boys, who often portray female characters and deities while dressed in traditional feminine clothing. The troupes travel from village to village and perform stories that span the diversity of the region’s cultural history: some are folk tales, others are religious retellings of the Bhagavad Gita or the Puranas. Little is known about the art form outside of Mewar–but rural communities are familiar with the tradition and its various practices.

CURATORIAL NOTE

“Women participate in the beginning — when the performers arrive in the receiving village — and at the end of the forty days when they bid farewell to the Gauri Dancers, while singing folk songs narrating the Bhasmasur story, and praising Lord Shiva, and Parvati. Each performance normally happens in the daytime, but a few stories can be prolonged till late evening, depending upon the responsiveness of the audience and the rhythm of the performers. A number of stories are performed over the course of forty days, the majority of these being mythical tales, others touching upon social issues, while still others are created by the performers, who improvise stories on the spot. At the beginning of each day, the Pat Bhopa, or head priest, installs the trishul (trident) and a jhanda (flag) as an effigy of the Devi and performs an aarti which is attended by all the participants and the audience. The performance starts with circling and a slow dance around the effigy, which turns into a rhythmic, synchronised, fast-paced dance, before the performers disperse to dress up for various acts. Every day, after the performance, a group dance and a mesmerising grand aarti happens, after which the effigy is uninstalled.”

– Excerpt from the essay by Sonika Soni, Gauri Dancers (2019), Mapin Publishing