# Does This Gesture (By An Indian Performer) Mean Anything, Or Is It Just A Dance Move?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gesture-by-an-indian-performer-mean-anything-or-is-it-just-a-dance-move/796260>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 13, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gesture-by-an-indian-performer-mean-anything-or-is-it-just-a-dance-move/796260 "2017-09-13T18:18:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gesture-by-an-indian-performer-mean-anything-or-is-it-just-a-dance-move/796260/1 "2017-09-13T18:18:36Z")

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Note how the performer in [this video](https://youtu.be/vTIIMJ9tUc8?t=3m22s) holds his right hand against his abdomen, index finger out, while with his left hand he wiggles his fingers and pulls it up and away.

Is that a meaningful gesture in Indian culture (like the thumbs-up in the West), or is it just dancing?

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**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gesture-by-an-indian-performer-mean-anything-or-is-it-just-a-dance-move/796260/2 "2017-09-13T18:36:43Z")

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That is just Punjabi Pop song /video from the 90s. Those gestures means nothing.

As far as I know, Punjab does not have classical dances or music (just folk dances / music - like Bhangra or Gidda)

In other parts of India - gestures in classical dances like the Bharatnatyam, Odishi, kathak, etc the gestures have meaning.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-gesture-by-an-indian-performer-mean-anything-or-is-it-just-a-dance-move/796260/3 "2017-09-13T20:21:11Z")

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It’s not a meaningful gesture in Indian society generally. It might be something that Daler Mehndi thought looked cool. The chorus of that song is just nonsense syllables so far as I can tell.