In Indian dance, so-called Ghungroos are worn, mostly around the ankles, in order to intensify acoustically the rhythmic movements of the feet. They are not considered as embellishment but as  a percussion instrument. The more bells and the better the quality of the bells, the more their sound will emphasise the rhythmic part of Kathak and Bharatnatyam. As they hardly resonate, they represent precisely the rhythmic movements of the dancing feet. Ghungroos consist of a differing number of little bells made of bronze or brass.

TARANG has been running a school for Kathak and Bharatnatyam since 1988 where Indian maestros give lessons. In coordination with the dancers from India, we carry in our product range exclusively professional Ghungroos with bells of the best quality (size 11) regarding long-life cycle and optimal percussion sound. Also the standard of craftsmanship is professional. This applies primarily to the use of a good string and the lasting knotting together of the bells in a technique that prevents elongation and loosening of the Ghungroos later during the dancing. Of course, it is also important to attach the Ghungroos in the right way. You will find information on the correct application of the Ghungroos on Instruction.

The Indian dance Kathak in particular, is with its large rhythmic part a type of dance that is characterised by an especially expressive footwork which should be clearly heard. For this reason a pair of Ghungroos with 100 bells each per foot is a must for a performance. But this pair is also recommended for practising since the weight makes the legs heavier and contributes to developing the typical clapping sound of the flat feet on the ground more quickly. The sound of the Ghungroos together with the clapping of the feet on the dance floor, that is so typical for Kathak, produces a convincing sound. The size 2 x 50 bells is more intended for children.

As every Kathak student knows very well it is not easy to achive the nice clapping sound of the foot on the dance floor which looks so easy when the teacher is doing it. to develope this sound it needs mostly years of regular practise of the student. During that time the student has to do the foot work very boldly to develope this sound befor he is able to achive the same result with less efforts. In India Kathak students often use more heavy Ghungroos with 150 bells each foot to put more weight on their feets and so get faster development in this typical sound of Kathak foot work. Due to this TARANG also offers this heavy Ghungroo set for the practise of Kathak students. Of course they also can be used for performance. As the 2 x 200 Bells Version is only for prctise and not for performance we no longer offer the version with 2 x 200 bells.