Mayur dance signifies an episode of love between Radha and Lord Krishna and belongs to the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. In this dance form, Radha, pinning for Krishna after a brief separation, decides to console herself by the sight of peacocks, whose feathers Krishna wears on his crown, at the Mor Kuti. Lord Krishna Knowing her mind from afar, playfully causes the peacocks to disappear, leaving Radha distraught. He eventually yields to Radha’s entreaties, and himself appears in the guise of a peacock to dance with his beloved. Monika Tomar and her group perform this dance beautifully with her troupe of musicians, namely Sourav Kaushik, 36, a Dholak player; Vikas Nagar, 16, who plays the Tabla; Shyam Goswami, Chorus singer, and Manjira expert. Monika has excelled in semi-classical folk forms and Mayur Nritya. She started learning Kathak while she was a child and has completed the six-year course in the same dance form. She is a skilled Charkhula dancer who performs with a 65kgs set up having 108 lamps lit up. She is also a dance teacher and teaches kids various dance folk forms. The group has performed at various stages in the states like Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, etc., in India, whereas they have also performed in South Korea internationally. For the group, Mayur Nritya is their life. Monika directs and produces the dance with all her heart and soul and ensures that it reaches people. Their melodies are captivating, and their dance transpires through word-of-mouth, as most of them haven’t had the privilege to get a college education and gain the required marketing skills. However, they wish to make an impact on their community and livelihoods through their art form. All the members of the group have been learning and following this for a long time now. They are extraordinary artists who put in efforts at every performance with all their energy. For them representing their tradition and culture on all the platforms is their dream. They all wish to travel the globe and spread the message that their beautiful heritage has to give.
