Welcome to Northeast India —
the Land of Festivals.

Monpa & Sherdukpen (Tibetan Buddhist)

Cham is the masked ritual dance of the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries of Tawang and West Kameng. Monks in brocade robes and carved wooden masks of deities and protectors perform slow, meditative circles in the monastery courtyard, enacting the triumph of dharma over ignorance. It is sacred theatre, not entertainment.

Adi (Galo)

Popir is the women's dance of the Galo and Adi communities of central Arunachal Pradesh, performed during Mopin to mark the sowing season. Dancers in white galuk robes form long, undulating lines under the chant of the Nyibo priest, smeared with rice paste as a blessing of purity and abundance.

Adi

Ponung is the harvest dance of the Adi people of East Siang, performed in a long swaying circle led by a male priest (Miri) with a yoksha sword. Women interlock arms and chant in rising cadences through the night, recounting Adi origin myths during the Solung festival.

Bodo

Often called the butterfly dance, Bagurumba is the most graceful folk dance of the Bodo people of Assam. Young women in dokhna and jwmgra fan out their wraps like wings, mimicking butterflies and rivers, accompanied by the kham drum, sifung flute and serja fiddle. It is a celebration of nature and youth.

Mising

Gumrag is the spring dance of the Mising people of upper Assam, performed during the Ali-Ai-Ligang sowing festival. Young men and women move in vigorous circles to the beat of the dhol, gong and pempa flute, calling on the earth to bear a good ahu rice crop. It is one of the Brahmaputra valley's most spirited folk performances.

Meitei

Thang-Ta is the ancient martial art of Manipur — 'thang' the sword, 'ta' the spear. Practised as both combat training and ritual performance, it combines spinning sword routines, spear sequences and unarmed huyen langlon with rhythmic chants of Meitei warrior heritage. It is Manipur's living dance of war.

Garo

Wangala, the Hundred Drums Dance of the Garo hills, marks the end of the agricultural year. Lines of dancers in feathered headdresses move to the deep roll of long oval drums, honouring Misi Saljong, the sun god of fertility. It is Meghalaya's most powerful tribal performance.

Khasi

Nongkrem is the sacred five-day thanksgiving dance of the Khasi people, held at Smit near Shillong. Young women in silk and gold move in slow, dignified circles around men brandishing swords and yak-tail whisks, performed before the Syiem of Hima Khyrim to thank the goddess Ka Blei Synshar for the harvest.

Mizo

Often called the Bamboo Dance, Cheraw is Mizoram's signature performance — women in puanchei step rhythmically between clapping bamboo staves while drums and gongs set the pulse. Performed during Chapchar Kut, it celebrates harvest, ancestral memory and the precision of Mizo community life.

Mizo

Khuallam — literally 'dance of the guests' — is the welcome dance of the Mizo people, traditionally performed to honour visitors at the Khuangchawi feast. Dancers in red, black and white puandum cloths sway in a slow circle to the deep beat of the khuang drum, the room hushed by ritual and hospitality.

All Naga tribes

The Naga Warrior Dance is the dramatic battle dance performed at the Hornbill Festival and village ceremonies across Nagaland. Men in full war regalia — hornbill-feather headdresses, dao swords and shields of mithun hide — re-enact tribal warfare with deep war cries and stamping rhythms. It is the most photographed performance of Northeast India.

Reang (Bru)

Hojagiri is the astonishing balancing dance of the Reang (Bru) community of Tripura. Standing on an earthen pitcher, a dancer balances a bottle with a lit lamp on her head and a plate beneath her feet, all while bending and swaying to the rhythm of the kham and bamboo flute. Only the lower body moves.

Tripuri (Tiprasa)

Garia is the spring jhum-cultivation dance of the Tripuri people, performed for seven days from the last day of Chaitra in honour of Garia, the god of livestock and good harvest. Men and women dance shoulder-to-shoulder in open circles around a bamboo shrine, accompanied by the kham, sumui flute and dangdoo.