It’s the kind of dance that, after four drinks, a specific kind of man puts his best foot forward to. The nagin dance, which involves the performer bending and wriggling and occasionally even lying on the ground in a hooded cobra stance, has recently grown in popularity as the most shared or uploaded memory from a night of embarrassing excess. But last week, when a group of desperate protesters danced to its beat at a PWD office in Buldhana, the nagin dance shook an altogether new scene. It was the day’s most popular video. What transpired in the little village in Maharashtra serves as further evidence of how the nagin dance has subtly and covertly invaded the public’s psyche.
The dance was first popularised by Sridevi, whose antics served as its primary inspiration for Nagina (1986). Since then, the dance has been far more frequently imitated than anyone cares to admit.
Nagin dance yields 4,32,000 results on Google. You can find 34,300 results on YouTube by searching for “nagin dance wedding.” Young men from Haryana sway and strike like vipers, paunchy elderly Punjabis frolic to the sound of a made-up instrument, and obese dancers slither in Pakistani celebrations. In Bihar, extended nagin dance performances are typical of wedding festivities. After the alcohol ban, those who were tempted by its enjoyment allegedly experience withdrawal symptoms.
Interestingly, although having film origins with Hollywood and Hindi film actresses, this immensely funny dance has been extensively hijacked by men, especially in weddings. It is now featured in advertisements as well.
In contemporary nagin dance, Both the actions and the steps are novel. For an explanation of how it is done, watch the video.
