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Orissa
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The Juang tribal people of Orissa are natural dancers born with a sense of song and rhythm. Being exposed to Mother nature, they have specialized in animal dances in which they imitate the animals which they know. Hence they love to do the dance of the dance of the Pigeons, of the pig and tortoise dances, the Quill and Vulture. These imitation dances of animals are a a source of
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vigour as well as amusement
to the Juang tribe. There are four motivating ideas for such animal dances. The first is the hunting charm that they wear in which the men claim that they will get the power to catch the animals or kill them. Secondly they believe that the soul of the animal killed is propitiated. Thirdly the believe that some animals have magic powers and hence imitating them, the people will acquire these powers. And lastly, the animals' dances cause the increase in the number of the animals.
The 'Gond-s' imitate the Peacock dance depicting the beauty of the peacock. At on time, in the 1940's the Juang girls wearing their leaf dress, executed the animal imitative dances such as the deer dance in which they imitate the deer, the elephant and the vulture etc. While the girls danced, the men played the tambourines and sang appropriate and beautiful songs
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