A folk dance from the land of Manipur, Dhol Cholom basically means dancing on the beats of the dhol (Drum). Men carry the drum tied to the strings, on their shoulders and dance to its beat in unison. This dance is performed only by men hence there are fast and ferocious movements. A totally energy packed performance is given by the dancers. This dance is a traditional folk dance for all of Manipur. It is more of a manly dance because it was initiated by the Kings here who believed in imparting martial arts to its people. Gradually, from the martial arts developed certain dance forms like Dhol-Cholom.
The people here are mostly devotees of Lord Vishnu (One of the trinity according to Hinduism) and this dance is dedicated to him. It`s interesting to note how the steps of the dance are inspired from nature. It is also referred to as Holi dance as it`s seen more at Holi (a color festival) celebrated all over India. This adds to the fun of Holi festival which is already a very amusing time for the people there.
For the Dhol Cholum, dancers wear traditional men`s wear like the Dhoti with or without a kurta and a stole like cloth. These are comfortable clothing that is required to swing on at the beats of the drum.
From the monarchial day till date it`s been practiced in Manipur with all the traditional values. It has got much popularity in the recent times to the extent that there are training institutes to teach the folk dance.