Snake dancer from Rajasthan heads for US

A US art house is looking forward to a snake dance performance by Indian artiste Gulabi Sapera whose interpretations have bagged her many awards, including a presidential one.

A US art house is looking forward to a snake dance performance by Indian artiste Gulabi Sapera.

HT Image

The World Music Institute (WMI) in New York has invited Sapera, known as the "gypsy queen of Rajasthan", to participate in a 'Festival of India' series Friday and Saturday, reports ethnic Indian newspaper Desi Talk.

Sapera, who is taking the 'Colours of Rajasthan: Music and Dance of the Desert' show to the US, said her troupe was composed of professional musicians from the Thar desert in Rajasthan who are also members of the Langa and Sapera groups.

She said: "As soon as I began to walk, I started to dance. When I was one, I would dance around the snake, and sometimes I would pick it up and put it around my neck, winding it around my body or on my head. Sometimes I would fall over, but I got up straight away and carried on dancing."

Sapera's interpretations have bagged her many awards, including a presidential one.