Chhattisgarh is home to several tribal communities and some of India’s oldest tribal communities can be found here. The color and music combined with a generous spiritual touch make the tribal dances of Chhattisgarh one of its kind. The ancient traditions and heritage of the place get manifested through these dances and the Saila Tribal Dance is one of such Performing Arts of Chhattisgarh that truly is admired for its unique way of presentation and performance.
The Saila Tribal Dance of Chhattisgarh in India is performed after the season for the harvests is over. The dance is generally performed by the young boys belonging to the plains of Chhattisgarh by going to each and every home of the adjacent village. This dance is basically performed in the month of Aghan. Saila Tribal Dance in its simpler form is also performed just before the advent of the Diwali festival and is called as Baigas. The dance is most popular in the Baitul districts among the people of Sarguja and Chhindwara. The dance is performed with the help of the sticks. This dance is well-known in many other districts of Chhattisgarh and is based on different themes having distinct identities.
Saila Tribal Dance is performed in many variations with the hitting of the sticks next to the one in the hand of the other dancer. The dancers are in sync to the beats of the ‘Mandar’ who gives the beat to the performers. They try to match their steps with the tempo of the beat thus exhilarating the pace and ambiance on a whole. The dancers form a circle while dancing and the way they are in harmony with the other dancer is worth watching.
The atmosphere exhibited during the Saila Tribal Dance is completely rapturous and engrosses the ones who witness this art performance of Chhattisgarh. At the end of the dance the dancers are given paddy by the villagers and they revel by eating and drinking together.
