Chai is a folk dance of
Mizoram. Both boys and girls participate in this dance. Chai Dance is a major attraction during the festive season of the
Chapchar Kut Festival. At the time of this festival, the Mizos dance Chai the whole night.
In one form this dance, the boys sit with their backs to the wall. Then a girl sits in front of the boy, in between his knees, with her back towards him. A performer standing in the middle starts dancing, while the others sing. The dancers get rounds of Zu (a popular drink among the Mizos) and the dance lasts as long as the supply of Zu is kept up.
The youngsters gather at the courtyard to perform another type of dance. They form a circle with a girl in between two boys with their arms over the shoulders of the girls. One of the performers stands in the middle and hymns a song accompanied by beats of drum. The others move forward and backward in a rhythmic manner along with the beats.
