The people behind the dance
The name: kal is often explained as the cobra, or death, and the Kalbelia are the people who lived with snakes. You will also hear them called Sapera, snake people, and Jogi.
A Nath connection: in their own tradition the Kalbelia belong to the wider family of Nath ascetics, and trace their line to the Nath saint Kanipa, a disciple of Gorakhnath.
- Other names
- Sapera, Jogi, Kalbeliya
- Tradition
- Linked to the Nath jogis
- Old livelihood
- Snake charming, herbal cures
- Today
- Music, dance, crafts, seasonal work
- Lives
- In settlements across Rajasthan
- Wanderers: for generations they moved from village to village, catching and showing snakes, selling herbal remedies and performing, and camping on the edge of settlements.
- Snake catchers too: villagers called them when a cobra moved into a house or a granary, and they would take it away. That knowledge of snakes was real and respected.
- The change: snake charming has been illegal under India's wildlife laws for decades. The community lost its old living and turned more fully to music and dance.
- Today: many Kalbelia families live in settlements in central and western Rajasthan, and earn from performances, festivals, tourism, crafts and farm labour. Life is often hard.
How the dance moves
The snake in the body: the movements draw on the snake: swaying, coiling, rising and striking, with the arms and shoulders flowing like a serpent's body.
The spin: dancers whirl until the black skirt flares into a wheel, the mirrors catching every light in the courtyard.
- The backbend: many dancers bend backwards almost to the floor with astonishing flexibility, sometimes lifting a coin or ring from the ground without using their hands.
- The speed: it starts slow and builds. As the been and the drums quicken, the dance grows faster until it seems impossible, then stops on a beat.
- Women dance, men play: traditionally the women dance and the men play the instruments, though families teach children of both sexes the songs.
- Learned at home: girls learn by watching mothers and aunts from childhood. There are no dance schools in the old way, only family evenings.
- Improvised: no two performances are quite the same. Dancers respond to the music, the crowd and each other, and a good group feels its way through the night.
- Group and solo: you may see a single dancer or a group of three or four, sometimes in a line, sometimes circling each other.
The music: been, dafli and the songs
The been, or pungi
- What it is: a gourd wind instrument with two reed pipes below it, one holding a drone and the other the melody. The player breathes in through the nose and out through the mouth to keep the sound unbroken.
- Its old job: it was the snake charmer's pipe. A snake does not hear the tune as we do. It follows the movement of the pipe.
The dafli and the khanjari
- Dafli: a frame drum played with the hand, which gives the dance its driving beat.
- Khanjari: a small frame drum with jingles, like a tambourine, that adds a bright shimmer over the rhythm.
The dholak and the morchang
- Dholak: the two-headed barrel drum found across Rajasthani folk music.
- Morchang: a metal jaw harp that twangs like a desert insect. Our page on folk music and dance introduces the desert's other instruments.
The songs
Composed on the spot: Kalbelia singers are known for improvising verses during a performance, drawing on old stories and the moment in front of them.
- What they sing of: love and longing, the life of the road, the gods and the Nath saints, and sometimes teasing songs about the audience.
- Passed down by ear: the songs are not written. They live in families and change a little with every singer, which is part of why UNESCO listed them.
Black skirts, silver mirrors
Black, always: the dancers' ghagra, a long full skirt, is black or very dark, so that the decoration and the movement stand out in firelight.
Embroidery: the skirt and blouse are worked with silver and coloured thread, braid, sequins and small mirrors, often in flowing patterns that echo the dance.
- Skirt
- Ghagra, long, full and black
- Decoration
- Mirrors, silver thread, braid
- Upper
- A fitted blouse, the kanchli or choli
- Head
- An odhni veil-scarf
- Jewellery
- Heavy silver, bangles, anklets
- Weight: a full skirt with all its decoration is heavier than it looks, which makes the spinning more impressive still.
- The odhni: a veil-scarf over the head and shoulders, often black with red or silver, which the dancer sometimes uses in the movement.
- Silver jewellery: anklets, bangles, necklaces and nose rings in silver. Our Rajasthani jewellery guide explains the pieces.
- Tattoos: many older Kalbelia women wear traditional tattoos on their hands, arms and faces, a custom shared with several Rajasthani communities.
- The men: the musicians wear white or coloured clothes with bright turbans. Our piece on the turbans of Rajasthan explains the colours.
From the roadside to UNESCO
The listing: in 2010 UNESCO inscribed the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Why it matters: the listing recognised the dance, the improvised songs and the community's knowledge as living heritage, not a tourist show.
- Gulabo Sapera: the best-known Kalbelia dancer, she took the dance to stages around the world and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, in 2016.
- Festivals and stages: Kalbelia groups now perform at the great folk festivals of India and abroad, often alongside Manganiyar and Langa musicians.
- The other side: fame on stage has not reached every family. Many Kalbelia still live with little security, and some face prejudice about their old way of life.
- What visitors can do: watch performances that pay the dancers properly, buy their crafts directly and treat them as artists, not as exotic extras.
Beyond the stage: crafts and daily life
Embroidery: Kalbelia women make much of their own costume, and many sell embroidered cloth, bags and cushion covers worked with mirrors and braid.
Jewellery and beads: some families make and sell beadwork and simple silver-style jewellery, often at fairs and festival stalls.
- Herbal knowledge: older members still know the plants and remedies that their families once sold on the road, though few practise openly now.
- Seasonal travel: many families still travel for work, following fairs, festivals and the tourist season, and returning home for the rains.
- The settlements: a Kalbelia dera, a settlement, is usually a cluster of simple homes on the edge of a town or village. Visits should be arranged only through people the family trusts.
- Education: many young Kalbelia now go to school and some to college, and families balance the dance with new ambitions. Several dancers also teach in cities.
- Faith: the community keeps its Nath traditions and its own customs for births, weddings and deaths, which outsiders rarely see and should not expect to.
Where to see Kalbelia dance
Jaisalmer and the desert camps
Why: a dance by a fire on the dunes, with the been drifting over the sand, is the setting this dance was made for.
- Where: at a well-run camp near Sam or Khuri, or a private dinner on a quiet dune away from the crowds.
- Read first: our guide to desert camps and dunes explains how to choose a camp that treats its performers fairly.
Jodhpur, the folk festival at Mehrangarh
- Why: the Rajasthan International Folk Festival brings Kalbelia dancers and singers to the fort each October, around the autumn full moon.
- What to expect: performances in courtyards and on terraces, late nights and some of the finest musicians in the state.
The Desert Festival and the winter fairs
Jaisalmer: the evening programmes of the Desert Festival in Magh, usually in February, feature Kalbelia dancers.
- Pushkar: the Pushkar Camel Fair in Kartik brings dancers and musicians to the fairground and the camps around it.
- Others: the Kumbhalgarh Festival, the Abhaneri Festival and the Shekhawati Festival all include Kalbelia performers. We confirm dates each year.
Udaipur and Jaipur
- Udaipur: the evening Dharohar show at Bagore ki Haveli brings together several Rajasthani dances in one hour.
- Jaipur: we arrange private evenings in a haveli courtyard with Kalbelia dancers, musicians and puppeteers. Our page on kathputli puppets describes the puppeteers.
A private evening, the way we arrange it
We start with the family: we invite a group we know, usually a family of dancers and musicians, and ask who would like to perform and when.
The setting: a courtyard, a roof or a quiet dune, with rugs on the ground and the fire or lamps placed so the dancers have space and light.
- Music first: the musicians often begin alone, and the dance joins when they are ready. Nobody rushes them.
- With the Manganiyars: we often pair Kalbelia dance with an evening of desert songs. Our piece on Manganiyar music explains why the two belong together.
- Supper together: the performers eat with everyone, as guests rather than staff. It changes the whole feeling of the night.
- Paid in full: the fee is agreed and paid in advance, directly to the family, with nothing taken in between. A gift at the end is welcome.
- Your turn: at the end, the dancers often invite guests to try a few steps. Most of us manage a wobble and a laugh, which is exactly the point.
Watching with respect
No snakes: if anyone offers you a snake show, say no. It is illegal, and it is cruel to the snakes, whose fangs or venom glands are often damaged.
No child performers: we never book performances by young children, and we avoid camps where children dance late into the night for tips.
- Snake shows
- Illegal, and we never book them
- Children
- We never book child performers
- Photography
- Ask first, no flash in faces
- Pay
- Directly and in full, in advance
- Gifts
- Welcome, after the performance
- Ask before photographing: most dancers are happy to be photographed on stage, but ask before taking close portraits, and never use a flash in their faces.
- Dance with, not at: if you are invited to join in, do so warmly. Do not pull a dancer into a selfie or grab her hand uninvited.
- Pay properly: the fee is the family's living. Our page on travelling responsibly explains how we set and pay fees.
- Buy directly: Kalbelia women also make embroidery, jewellery and small crafts. Buy from them, not from a middleman at the camp gate.
- Mind the words: call the community by its own name, Kalbelia, and the dancers by theirs. They are artists, not a novelty.
What most visitors miss
The musicians' faces: the been player and the drummer watch the dancer constantly, changing the pace to match her. It is a conversation, not an accompaniment.
The breathing: the been never stops, because the player breathes in through his nose while blowing out. Ask him to show you after the performance.
- The older women: in a family group the older women often sing rather than dance. Their voices carry the songs that give the dance its meaning.
- The quiet start: many evenings open with a slow song before any dancing. Visitors who arrive late miss the most beautiful part.
- The skirt itself: ask to look at a skirt up close after the show. The hours of embroidery in a single piece explain a great deal about the women who wear it.
The right season and the right hour
October to March: the best season, with cool, dry evenings perfect for an outdoor performance in a courtyard or on the dunes.
After sunset: most performances begin after dark, often after a short musical prelude. Plan supper around the dance, not the other way round.
- Festival weeks: the Folk Festival in October, Pushkar in Kartik and the Desert Festival in February bring the best groups together. Book rooms early.
- The hot months: from April to June we hold evenings late, after the heat has gone, or indoors.
- The monsoon: many performers travel less in the rains, and outdoor shows depend on the weather. We keep a covered space ready.
- Our favourite month: December in the Thar, when the nights are cold, the fire is welcome and the stars are bright. Our Rajasthan in December guide explains the season.
Who will love it
Families: children are spellbound by the spinning and the backbends, and most performances are short enough for young attention spans. Our family journeys often include one.
Couples: a private evening on a dune with dance, music and supper by the fire is one of the most romantic nights of a desert journey.
- Music lovers: pair the dance with an evening of Manganiyar songs and, if you can, the October folk festival in Jodhpur.
- Dancers and performers: ask us for a session where a Kalbelia dancer teaches a few movements and talks about how she learned.
- Photographers: firelight, black skirts and silver mirrors are a gift, as long as you ask first and leave the flash off. Our photography tips help.
- Not for everyone: the drone of the been and the drums can be loud, and evenings can run late. Tell us, and we will arrange a short early performance.
Fitting it into your journey
In the desert: our Under the Thar Sky journey builds music and dance into the desert nights near Jaisalmer.
With a festival: our Desert Festival journey and Pushkar Camel Fair journey put you in the right place in the right week.
- Where to stay in the desert: a well-run camp such as The Serai, or Suryagarh on the edge of Jaisalmer, where music evenings are part of the stay.
- In the city: a private evening in Jaipur or Udaipur, combined with puppets and musicians, suits guests who are not going to the desert.
- More culture: our page on folk music and dance covers the other dances of Rajasthan, from ghoomar to terah taali.