Tonayammel is a popular folk dance of
Goa. It is performed during the festival of
Shigmo.
The word ‘ toni’ means ‘stick’ and ‘mel’ means ‘dancing group’. As the name suggests, this dance is performed using sticks. It is a dance comprising exclusively male dancers. The dancers initially begin with slow footwork. The pace increases with the increasing tempo of the folk drums. The increasing speed however does not hinder the gracefulness of the dancing movements. The dance is accompanied by traditional orchestra.
