Gotipua

Gotipua Dance of Orissa in India. This dance is being traditionally done by boys, dressed up as girls to please the deity of Puri (Jagannath). These boys (Gotipuas) are trained to become accomplished dancers, mardala players, tuned singers and graceful acrobats above all. Raghurajpur crafts village near Puri in Orissa, where this video was recorded, is known for its Gotipua dance troupes. Famous Odissi dancer guru Kelucharan Mahapatra was also from this village and he himself was a Gotipua in young days.