Genre Folk dance | Origin Southeast Asia | |
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The peacock dance or peafowl dance is a traditional Asian folk dance that describes the beauty and the movement of peacock. There are several peacock dance traditions developed in Asia, among others are those performed by Dai people in Southern China, peacock dances of Myanmar, and in the western and northern parts of Cambodia, West Java in Indonesia, also peacock dances of Indian subcontinent in Southern India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
The mayilattam (Tamil:மயிலாட்டம்), also known as peacock dance, is performed by girls dressed as peacocks during the harvest festival of Thai Pongal in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
In Indonesia, it is known as the peafowl dance (Merak dance or Tari Merak) by Sundanese people in West Java, and Reog in other parts of Indonesia. It is performed by female dancers inspired by the movements of a peafowl and its feathers blended with the classical movements of Sundanese dance. This dance is also performed in Perahara festivals in Sri Lanka.