Rai is primarily a folk dance of which state?

The correct answer is Madhya Pradesh. Rai is a popular folk dance of the Bundelkhand region, which lies mainly in northern Madhya Pradesh, in districts such as Sagar, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Damoh, and also in parts of southern Uttar Pradesh.

The Rai dance is traditionally performed by women dancers of the Bedia community, called Bednis, who dance to the beat of the mridang (a drum), the dhapla (a frame drum), the timki, the nagara and other instruments. The Bedni dances with energetic, swirling movements, often spinning rapidly while holding the end of her veil or a lamp, and the musicians follow her rhythm. The male musicians and singers, called the "swangs", provide comic interludes and sing songs that alternate with her dance. The songs are often romantic, and they describe nature, love and the seasons, and sometimes contain witty or teasing dialogues between the dancer and the singers. Rai is performed at weddings, at the birth of a son, at festivals and at fairs. It is believed to get its name from "rai", the mustard seed, because the dancer moves as quickly as a mustard seed jumps in hot oil. The dance became widely known through the work of artists such as Ram Sahay Pandey, who devoted his life to Rai and received the Padma Shri in 2022.

Madhya Pradesh has many other folk dances, such as Jawara (a harvest dance of Bundelkhand), Matki (performed by women of the Malwa region), Grida, Bhagoriya (of the Bhil tribe), Tertali, Kathi and the dances of the Gond and Baiga tribes.

About the other options:

• Gujarat is known for Garba, Dandiya Raas and Tippani.
• Punjab is known for Bhangra, Giddha and Luddi.
• Odisha is known for Odissi, Gotipua and Dalkhai.
• None of these is associated with the Rai dance.