Take a taste of tradition in Brazil & Japan, check out the world's most-happening dance festivals

Soak up the traditional essence of an international destination by shaking a leg.

Beyond international borders and cultural differences lies our innate strength to unite over dance fests and musical inspirations. Indeed, the modern Indian traveller has found the answer to his/her lure of travelling to celebrate unique features during a traditional dance festival in faraway destinations. What this extravaganza brings along is a variety of culturally-infused food, local beverages, fabulous country trails, new friends and fantastic experiences. In our edition today, read along to know about leading dance and music fests that are tourism magnets.

Get your samba shoes along in Brazil

Where: Rio de Janeiro
Trivia: Biggest carnival in the world that takes place before the holy time of Lent
Revellers, floats and professionally-trained Samba dancers in teams, Rio Carnival brims over with fanfare on vibrant streets amidst loud music. Most popular being the Carnival Samba, a Brazilian dance with African influences. An interesting facet here is the ushering of The Queen of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. On the floats, visitors clap and cheer for two princesses who blow kisses in the air and dance while standing next to King Momo. Planning ahead for the Rio Carnival in 2020 must include a detailed trail on best highlights of the city’s eateries, shopping boutiques and of course, the heritage sites.

Sing along at the Mariachi Festival
Where: Mexico
Trivia: Guadalajara is the hotspot where most fests take place in Mexico.
When it comes to dance and music fests, all routes lead to the city of Guadalajara. A series of fests are worthy of a visit here, including the Holy Week, Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Festival Cervantino, and the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Every year, visitors come to witness the world’s largest Mariachi Festival. The celebration begins with a loud parade along the main streets of Guadalajara with unique Mariachi music and traditional dances. One must not miss a chance to attend the ‘Galas de Mariachi’ in the majestic Teatro Degollado. Here, leading Mariachis in the world sing along with a Philharmonic orchestra. The result is an amazing amalgamation of classical and traditional songs. One can also take sides of the competing teams that come here from different parts of Mexico and participate in the traditional Mexican sport of ‘Charreria’. Th winner takes home the trophy. It’s truly an unmissable spectacle.

Dancing in Tokyo
Where: Koenji neighbourhood
Trivia: Women dancers sport large straw ‘Amigasa’ hat
Koenji Awa-Odori is a colourful and fun street festival of Japan. In fact, it is considered one of Tokyo’s largest summer street festivals. The numbers are mind-boggling too: Over 12,000 dance participants get in sync to shake a leg amidst traditional fanfare and over a million visitors come to cheer for them over a span of two days. Held in and around the neighbourhood of Koenji, Suginami the Awa-Odori is performed by dance troupes (called Ren) along with up to 100 musicians. It’s a good idea to pay attention to the traditional musical accompaniments here, which includes shamisen, drums, flutes and cymbals. It’s a treat to see the women dancing in their yukata, geta and straw amigasa hats.

Respecting traditions of ‘Passing Down’ generations of Ivory Coast
Where: Ivory Coast
Trivia: French-speaking, fourth-most populous city in Africa. Cocoa drinks are popular here
In Ivory Coast, there’s ample sunshine and there’s awesome music. In about every fest, dancing in bright attire is almost a given and it is truly enjoyable for tourists who get to see this right on the streets. One such dance fest is the unique Fatchue celebrations. The rituals include Ebrie locals painting their faces in tribal patterns and sporting bright tradition-inspired clothing for the occasion. It is interesting to note that during this ceremony, the ‘Blessoue Djehou’ men joyfully invite the next generation of young men to participate in the management of village affairs. Before you make plans to visit this destination, it’s a good idea to know that people of Ivory Coast or Republic of Côte d’Ivoire are very friendly. Many trekkers visit Mount Nimba (Unesco World Heritage Site) here at the juncture where Ivory Coast meets Guinea and Liberia.

Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav
When: First week of February, 2019
The Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav is hosted by the Odisha Dance Academy (ODA) and Art Vision. It combines martial dance, which celebrates the victory of peace over war, with classical and folk dances of the state. The festival’s location is evocative. It is held in the hills alongside the historic Daya River, at the place where Emperor Ashok is believed to have fought the last battle of the Kalinga.

Khajuraho Dance Festival
When: Feb 25 till March 3, 2020
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is the celebration of the traditional dance forms against the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The festival weaves history, culture, and a variety of emotions in performances. Enjoy a glimpse of intricate Kathak, finely stylised Bharatnatyam, the dance dramas of Kuchipudi and Manipuri, the ancient civilisation and Kathakali stage fights with elaborate masks, which leave the audiences enchanted.