Lhou sha is a war dance of Manipur. Lhou sha is performed during the confrontation between two villages. Whenever a village won a fight or caught a wild animal it used to perform lhou sha dance. It became the dance of the victory. Maring community of Manipur is responsible for its origin and perseverance of lhou sha dance. This dance is also performed as the conclusive dance of many festivals.
Dance Performers
Being a war dance initially lhou sha was only performed by men. With time it has emerged as the folk dance of Manipur which now includes womenfolk of the tribe too.
Initially lhou sha consisted of hard steps that required muscle strength and energy to do it. As it started including women too the dance became a little gentle than before. But even after the changes, it has not lost its essence. Anyone who ever witnesses lhou sha know right away what it is about.
Lhou Sha Costume
Women wear traditional clothing where men wear traditional war clothing. Both men and women dress lightly as lhou sha require rapid body movements and excessive clothing and jewelry will only come in the way.
Even though lhou sha dance is a traditional war dance it is fast disappearing from society. There are only a few communities that still perform lhou sha dance.