Sapera

Sapera is a form of dance from India practised by the Romani peoples, to Romani and Indian music. It is commonly thought of as a snake dance, it is a dance that features heavily in the twirls with richly embroidered robes flaying out in display.

"Sapera" is a name given to the snake charmers of India. Since the introduction of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 the Sapera's numbers have been dwindling - what was in the thousands is now limited to only a few hundred. Their professions and their religion are slowly being 'phased out' by a law that was put in place to stop the illegal skin/fur trade.