Various folk dances in Maharashtra have generally been evolved from the rural areas. These different folk dances are performed during festive occasions, representing their culture and merry-making. Maharashtra has been famous for its vibrant music and the folk forms like Tamasha, Koli dances, and Dindi are a true reflection of the society.
Tamasha
Tamasha is a form of theatre, from Maharashtra, which includes Lavanis. Not only in the earlier times, but also today, Tamasha is a very popular folk art among the common people and hence, one of the most awaited folk performances in Maharashtra. Tamasha includes songs and dance along with traditional Maharashtrian music. Learn More...

Koli Dance
Koli is one of the most popular folk dance forms of Maharashtra that derives its name from the fisher folk of Maharashtra - Kolis. This community is famous for their distinct identity among others and also for their lively dances, which consist every aspect of fishing as their occupation. The Koli dance takes different shapes and styles according to the different parts of the region. It is said that despite their obvious hardships regarding their occupation, their dances bringing out the liveliness of the fisher-folk, who enjoy every moment of their lives. There is also a dance of joy, which is a celebration of valuable life, performed with sheer exuberance by the dance participants.

Both men and women in groups perform these dances, where all the performers have to make a single row or stand in pairs and portray many fishing actions in the dance form, by holding small oars in their hands and moving those to the beats of the songs. Generally, women participants wear green coloured sarees in their Koli style, whose length comes upto their knees; while the males wear a lungi having a triangular shape. The dances sequences include actions like rowing of a boat, or movement of waves, where swaying of oars in backward and forward direction creates a scene of a boat tossing on the high sea-waves.

Dindi Dance
Dindi is widely popular in Maharashtra, among the Varkari people. Dindi is a religious and devotional dance, where the verses & poems form a vital part of this dance. This is a religious devotional dance that describes the playful attitude of Lord Krishna. Dindi is a small drum, like a `Tamate` used for musical purpose. Apart from this, the other musicians for this dance comprise of `Mridangam` players and a vocalist who give the dancers the necessary musical background. Both men as well as women usually perform this dance on the Ekadashi day in the month of Kartik.