Madai dance is a folk dance performed in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. The dance is named after the fair that is held at the time of Diwali on the new moon day of the lunar month of Kartik. The dance is practiced by the Ahirs who belong to the milk- men caste. It is believed that Madai dance and the fair was originally organised by the Ahir community. However, the community later adopted cultivation and are known as Yadav.
Performance of Madai Dance
The dance is performed in a group by both men and women. The group comprises of a leader who holds aloft a bamboo shaft, to the upper end of which is tied a bunch of peacock feather. These groups of dancers visit the houses of the upper class Hindus and try to amuse them by dancing and singing their crude songs. In return of their service the performers are given monetary rewards. These Ahirs also visit the weekly markets in the vicinity.
Musical Instruments of Madai Dance
The dance is accompanied by various musical instruments including mandar, dholak, timki and jhanj (cymbals).
Costumes of Madai Dance
During the performance they usually dress up in gaily coloured outfits. They wear head-dresses made of peacock feathers and decorate themselves with heavy jewelleries. The performers usually wear cowrie shell necklaces, brass armlets and anklets. These are generally made of hollow brass tubing and are filled with little pebbles so to enable them to produce as much noise as possible.
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