Parichakali Dance
Literally meaning and often referred as the Shield Dance, the Parichakali dance is a folk dance of Lakshadweep islands. Paricha means a shield and the dancers also happen to perform the dance with the help of shields and swords; hence the name Parichakali.
Performance— this particular dance form is a kind of martial art form like fighting and hence the swords and shields serve as the props. Made out of soft wood, the swords along with the dance aims at enacting and honoring bravery without wounding anybody. The common themes around which the dance revolves include freedom struggle, warriors, wars etc. Starting with a slow soft dance, the dance finally culminates into a highly strong and energetic dance.