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Nepali folk dance has the wonderful themes of love and courtship, everyday life, religious worship, happiness and sadness, and often a lot of good-natured teasing. Dancers, both men and women, wear traditional Himalayan costumes that are colorful and have elaborate jewelry and hair ornaments.
To get a better idea of what Nepali folk dance is like, watch the clip below or browse our gallery here.
What is it?
The Lakhe dance is performed yearly during the Indra Jatra Festival in the streets of Kathmandu. As king of the demons, the Lakhe serves to protect the residents of the city from evil spirits and misfortune. His dance is wild and spontaneous, performed to the music of cymbals and special drums. Masked and robed in red, his bells jingle loudly as he hunts and destroys the dangerous demons.
To get a better idea of what the Lakhe dance is like, watch the clip below or browse our gallery here.

Manjushree is said to be the founder of the Kathmandu Valley and is the Nepalese god of Divine Wisdom. His attributes, both physical and spiritual, are demonstrated in this beautiful stylized dance, which combines soft body movements with hand mudras, or signs, each one with a meaning of its own.
To get a better idea of what Manjushree dance is like, watch the clip below or browse our gallery here.
The tabla is actually two drums, considered as one instrument. It is believed that it originated when the pakawaj, a much older style of drum, was "cut in two". The tabla is a very diverse instrument. It can be played solo, as an accompaniment to songs, bhajans, the harmonium, or with stringed instruments, such as the sitar, sarangi, and violin. It can accompany Western style music as well.
In Kathak, the tabla is all-important, and the relationship between the tabla player and the dancer is essential to any performance. Artists use a system of syllabic sounds, known as bols, to illustrate the rhythmic cycle, called taal. The perfect match of tabla player/Kathak dancer comes as they complete a toda or other piece of music, and simultaneously arrive at the sum, or first beat of any cycle, with a release of power and energy.
The tabla is a physically demanding instrument, and requires a thorough knowledge of endless possibilities of combinations of bols in many distinct taals. The performance of a tabla solo executed by a master is unforgettable.
What is it?
The madal is the national instrument of Nepal. It is a type of drum which is struck on both ends, using a rhythmic pattern. Nepali Folk dance is usually accompanied by the madal, and it is virtually impossible to travel through any village in Nepal without hearing the soft and mellow sounds of a madal being played somewhere.
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