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This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Dalkhai" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2019)

Dalkhai is a popular folk dance of theAdivasis ofOdisha, India.^[1]

The dance originates in the western Odisha. The name is derived from dancers shouting‘Dalkhai Bo!’ at the beginning and end of each stanza sung in the dance.

The dance normally corresponds to theHindu epics such as the love story ofRadha and Krishna.

It is performed in various festivals such asBhaijiuntia, Phagun Puni andNuakhai. The dance is popular among theBinjhal, Kuda,Mirdha, Sama and other tribes of Western Odisha. Male dancers address their female counterparts during the performance and flirt with them.

The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a number of instruments known asdhol,nisan (typically a giant drum made of iron case),tamki (a tiny one sided drum 6" in diameter played by two sticks),tasa (a one sided drum) andmahuri. The dhol player controls the tempo of the performance.

Women wear a colorful printedSambalpuri saree. They also tie a scarf on their shoulders holding the ends in both the hands. Various traditional pieces of jewelry are worn by the performers to complete the look.

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