Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
A sari is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent, that consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe, with one end attached to the waist, while the other end rests over one shoulder as a stole (shawl), sometimes baring a part of the midriff. It may vary from 4.1 to 8.2 metres in length, and 60 to 120 centimetres in breadth, and is form of ethnic wear in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. There are various names and styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice also called a choli and a petticoat called ghagra, parkar, or ul-pavadai. It remains fashionable in the Indian Subcontinent today.
The dhoti, also known as veshti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh & panchey, is a type of sarong, fastened in between the legs in a manner that it outwardly resembles trousers, sometimes loose but other tighter fittings are worn as well, most popular in India and Nepal. It is a lower garment forming part of the traditional clothing for men in the Indian subcontinent. The dhoti is fashioned out of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted, either in the front or the back.
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women, and the dancing style is characterized by brisk steps and rapid hand movements. The traditional costume of dancers is centered around the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour.
A pantomime horse is a theatrical representation of a horse or other quadruped by two actors in a single costume who cooperate and synchronize their movements. One actor plays the front end, including the horse's head and its front legs, in a more-or-less upright posture and with a reasonable field of view afforded by eye holes in the horse's head. The other actor, playing the rear end of the animal, must bend at the waist so that their torso is horizontal like that of a horse and put his arms around the waist of the first actor. They can see little, although there are normally eye holes in the bottom part of the horse's torso to enable them to see where they are putting their feet and to enable them to breathe.
Fatehpur is a city in the Sikar district of Indian state Rajasthan. It is part of the Shekhawati region. It is midway between Sikar city and Bikaner on National Highway 52. It is also the land to Havelis built by Marwari Seth's. It also has many Kuldevi Temples of the Agarwal community for Bajoria,Bindal, Saraf, Chamadia, Choudhary, Goenka, Lohia, Singhania, Saraogi, Bhartia Families. It is famous for its extreme weather conditions throughout the year. In winters, the minimum temperature falls below 0 °C at night for many days making it the coldest town in India in non mountainous region. In summer the temperature rises to 50 °C in the afternoon making it one of the hottest places in India. 1985 Bollywood film Ghulami starting Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty and Smita Patil was extensively shot here in many of its havelis and the railway station.
Udaipur is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is also known as the 'City of Lakes' and serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. It was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, when he shifted his capital from the city of Chittorgarh to Udaipur after Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when it became a British princely state, and thereafter the Mewar province became a part of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947.
Gair dance is one of the popular, famous folk dances from Rajasthan in India which is mostly performed by the Bhil community but found in all over Rajasthan.
The Kalbelia are a snake charming tribe from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India. The dance is an integral part of their culture and performed by men and women.
Tamil Nadu has a rich history of art and entertainment. The three modes of entertainment classified as Iyel (Literature), Isai (Music) and Nadagam (Drama) had their roots in the rural folk theatre like Theru Koothu. Many forms of group and individual dances with the classical forms for popularity and sheer entertainment value. Some of the dance forms are performed by Tribal people. The majority of these dances are still thriving in Tamil Nadu today.
Ghagra choli is a type of ethnic clothing for women from the Indian Subcontinent, notably in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh. In Punjab, the lehenga is traditionally worn with a kurti. It is a combination of the gagra or lehenga and the choli (blouse), however in contemporary and modern usage lehenga choli is the more popular and widely accepted term by fashion designers, trend setters, and boutiques in South Asia, since ghagra is synonymous with the half-slip worn as an undergarment below the sari.
The Kaashtha sari is a Koli style of sari draping very similar to the way the Maharashtrian dhoti is worn. The word Kaashtha refers to the sari being tucked at the back. Since this sari is usually worn by using a single nine yard cloth, it is also referred to as Nauvari, which means Nine Yards. Sakachcha sari is another term commonly used to refer to this style of sari. It is referred to as Akanda Vastra, which means it doesn't need any other attire to support it. In fact, this attire holds utmost importance as women across different walks of life have worn it. It is not just worn at religious and cultural events, but women have fought wars in the past and still work in farmlands wearing this.
In folklore, a hobby horse is a costumed character that features in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. In England, they are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, mummers' plays and the Morris dance.
Gotipua is a traditional dance form in the state of Odisha, India, and the precursor of Odissi classical dance. It has been performed in Orissa for centuries by young boys, who dress as women to praise Jagannath and Krishna. The dance is executed by a group of boys who perform acrobatic figures inspired by the life of Radha and Krishna. The boys begin to learn the dance at an early age until adolescence, when their androgynous appearance changes. In the Odia language, Gotipua means "single boy" (goti-pua). Raghurajpur, Odisha is a historic village known for its Gotipua dance troupes. The dance of the Gotipuas is accompanied by traditional Odissi music with the primary percussion being the Mardala.
Folk dance of Mexico, commonly known as baile folklorico or Mexican ballet folk dance, is a term used to collectively describe traditional Mexican folk dances. Ballet folklórico is not just one type of dance, it encompasses each region's traditional dance that has been influenced by their local folklore and has been entwined with ballet characteristics to be made into a theatrical production. Each dance represents a different region in Mexico illustrated through their different zapateado, footwork, having differing stomps or heel toe points, and choreography that imitates animals from their region such as horses, iguanas, and vultures.
The following are the special concepts and terminology of belly dance. As this dance has many forms and can be found in North Africa and the Middle East, a significant proportion of the terminology is in Arabic. Turkish or Turkish-loan words may also be encountered among belly dance terms.
Chang dance is a folk dance from Rajasthan, India. It is also referred to Dhamal, dhuff dance,, and as Holi dance as it is performed during the Hindu festival of the same name (Holi) to celebrate the defeat of evil. It is a group dance performed by men, carousing and singing riotously to the rhythmic beat of the chang instrument.
Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam or Puravi Aattam is one of the folk dances of Tamil Nadu. It is a type of dance performed with a dummy horse having a gap inside so that a person can fit into it to perform the dance.
Poothamkali is folk art form in the state of Kerala, India. This art form uses various types of decorations in the costume. It is usually performs in the Bhagavathy temples of Malappuram district. It is based on the myth of Durga and her combat with Darika.
