FUGDI DANCE FORM

Fugdi dance is a Goan  folk dance performed by women in the Konkan region. This is an art form that can be traced back to the primeval cultural traditions of Goa. Fugdi is usually performed in the month of Bhadrapada which is an occasion for the women to take a break from their daily schedule and engage in dancing and merrymaking. The women sing and dance while enacting varied formations. Fugdi dance is also performed in many Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Dhalo and in other social and religious occasions.

Meaning and Themes of Fugdi Dance
While performing, the dancers blow air through the mouth at maximum pace. This sounds as 'FOO' hence the name Foogdi or Fugdi is kept. Fugdi songs are innumerable and the songs relate Puranic stories, family life, complaints, rivalries or people.

Variations of Fugdi Dance
Usually, Fugdi has two major variations; it is danced in a circle or by rows of dancers. Broadly, villages have a dance in a circle but forest settlements have it in rows. The dance is performed by enacting few fixed steps, hand gestures and hand laps. The dance begins with invocation to Hindu Gods. The pace is slow in the beginning but soon gains momentum finally reaching climax. The dance is not accompanied by any musical instrument.

Kalashi Fugdi is performed before Goddess Lakshmi during the vrata. This form of dance is performed to break the monotony of the routine work of fetching water from long distances. The dance is not accompanied by any songs. The women would carry the large vessels called kalashi or ghagar and blow into them rhythmically as they spin around. Katti Fugdi is another popular form, performed with coconut shells in their hands.

A distinctive style of Fugdi is found among the Dhangar (shepherd community) women. No songs are sung to accompany the performances. Two women cross their hands and join with each other. They then spin around together, bending and swaying to a distinct rhythm. Altogether, twenty-seven types of fugdi have been found in Goa so far. Girki, Cycle, Rahat, Zimma, Karvar, Bus Fugdi, Kombda, Ghuma, and Pakhwa are among the popular forms of Fugdi dance.

PHOTO COURTSY-INTERNET