The Mujra dance has benefited immensely from the patronage of ancient Indian royalty. One such benefactor was the Maharajah of Patiala. Maharajah Bhupinder Singh was one of the most legendary princely rulers of India, with a girth to match his magnanimity.
The Maharajah was based in Patiala, head to a large and extravagant kingdom of the [...]
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This is a roadside mujra from the Indian state of Punjab. In this particular example, we see a public stage set up in an open location, with a woman performing a mujra dance. Such mujras are becoming increasingly common in India, and are often organised in folk “melas” or fairs.
Many also have a theatrical component.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rOd6r-Q-EY
Punjabi mujras have their own unique style. The mujras from the land of the five rivers are markedly different from those of the Indian states east of the Jamuna river. While the mujras of Lucknow had a very artistic appeal to them, those of the Punjab were markedly crude in their form and execution.
In this [...]
Heera mandi mujras are another peculiar type of Mujra. these are performedin the famed notorious Heera Mandi, or diamond market. this is the ancient red light district in the Pakistani city of Lahore. The city of Lahore is an ancient metropolis, reputed to be over 3000 years old.
Heera mandi was established in medeival times by [...]
What is a Pakistani mujra? Well, it is basically a derivative of the general Indian mujra dance but performed and choroegraphed in Lahore, by Pakistani artists. Pakistani mujras generally tend to have a greater erotic appeal than their Indian counterparts. Performed usually by stage dancers and also professional courtesans, Pakistani mujras generally command a wider [...]
People in Lahore are claiming that Fasih ur Rahman is a mujra dancer. Although specialising in the Kathak dance form, his regular television appearances and popular appeal are slowly earning him the mujra label.
Fasih ur Rahman is an interesting character. Dressing as a drag queen or transvestite, he is an expert Kathak performer. His popularity [...]
The Nawab of Lucknow, Wajid Ali Khan, was one of history’s greatest patrons of Mujras. Wajid Ali Khan had hundreds of nautch girls, or dancing girls at his behest. Some of them were history’s greatest beauty queens, legendary pride of northern India. It is said that he had more than 300 nautch girls to his [...]
The Mujra is one of the most beautiful and timeless dance forms of the Indian subcontinent. It evolved as an amalgam of kathak and erotic dance, reaching zenith in the courts of the Mughal rules of India. From the seat of Delhi and Lucknow emerged oen of the most unique and exotic dances the world [...]