Bihu Dance: Technique, Rhythm and Repertoire
Domain 2 - Bihu Dance: Technique, Rhythm and Repertoire
This domain tests the body: stance, footwork, hand and eye work, and - crucially - how the dancer follows the dhol. Answers score when they describe what the dancer does, not how the dance makes people feel.
Stance and travelling
Stand with knees soft and weight low, torso lifted, chin level. The traditional performance space is an open courtyard or field, so the group travels in a circle or arc, keeping the dholia in view. Women's technique (Bihu Rani) uses quick small steps and the characteristic hip sway - jeng - with the torso counterbalancing; men's technique (Bihuwa) is broader, with deep knee bends, leaps and shoulder work.
Hands, eyes and motifs
Palms turn up and down with wrist flicks; hands mime playing the pepa, blowing the xutuli, combing hair, adjusting ornaments. The gaze follows the hands, then flicks to the audience or partner. Motifs come from nature - birds, the kopou orchid, the river.
Rhythm
The dhol carries the taal and the dholia controls tempo; Bihu items usually open slowly and accelerate, dancers landing footfalls on the beat. Watch the stick: the dholia's stroke is the cue for a change of step or a climax.
Worked example. "Describe the relationship between dancer and dholia." Answer in three moves: he sets the taal; he sets the tempo change; the dancers' footfalls and jeng accents answer his strokes. Add that in staged Bihu the cue is often visual rather than purely musical.
Traps. Calling Bihu a classical dance (Sangeet Natak Akademi lists it as folk); confusing it with Sattriya's khol and sutradhara; describing jeng as a separate step rather than the hip-sway quality running through the steps.