Dr Vayalkara Jayarajan, of Kerala, India, said folk dance had a higher purpose than just entertainment.
''These traditions, like all art forms, have their functions. It is not mere dance. It is not mere play. It has a function in the society,'' the University of Otago's 2013 William Evans Fellow said in Dunedin earlier this week.
''These folk dances serve purposes beyond the performance itself. They are to placate the gods of nature to make the crops grow and animals healthy.
"Epidemics like smallpox were eradicated by dance performances.
"They were used for eradicating bad spirits and resolving disputes between groups. Even for infertility, if a woman has no children.
"There have been several cases of a woman having children after a dance performance. Many rural areas still believe this,'' Dr Jayarajan said.
''Marginalised communities conserve their heritage through rituals, folk arts, crafts and performance that are passed on from one generation to the next.
"Every village has its own performance traditions and they should be maintained.''
Dr Jayarajan (55) is chairman of the Folkland International Centre for Folklore and Culture and convener of Kasargod Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and said he was impressed by the Maori dance tradition in New Zealand.
''There is a correlation with Maori folk dance tradition and Indian folk dance tradition.
"They're similar art forms. The stick dance tradition is very similar.''
The visit was a reciprocal cultural exchange after Dr Jayarajan hosted a group of Otago University dance ethnography students last year, dance studies senior teaching fellow Ali East said.
''We want to have more interaction with other parts of the world in dance studies.''
Dr Jayarajan will present a a paper, ''Dancing Gods - The Folk Performance of God's own Country'', at the School of Physical Education seminar room today.
