13 Facts About Chhau dance

Chhau dance, spelled Chhou dance, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions.

The Chhau dance is amazing and brings together people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in a festive and religious spirit.

Chhau dance is mainly performed during festivals in the region of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, especially the spring festival of Chaitra Parva and in which the whole community participates.

The Chhau dance found in northern Odisha does not use mask during the dance, but they do when the artists first appear on the stage for introduction to the audience.

The Chhau dance is rhythmic and set to traditional folk music, played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai.

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Precursors of Chhau dance were not only Paika and Natua, but Nachni dance played an important role in giving Chhau its present identity.

Chhau dance borrows the female gaits and movements from the Nachni dance almost exclusively.

The female dance elements in Chhau introduced the aspects of Lasya Bhava from the Natya Shastra that brought elegance, sensuality, and beauty in the dance form, whereas, the virile male dance movement is attributed to the Shiva's tandava style of dance.

The Seraikella Chhau dance is performed with symbolic masks, and the acting establishes the role the actor is playing.

The Purulia Chhau dance uses extensive masks shaped in the form of the character being played; for example, a lion character has a face mask of lion and body costumes too with the actor walking on all fours.

In 2010, the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Purulia Chhau Dance is listed on UNESCO's world heritage list of dances.

Purulia Chhau uses masks in dance, but Odisha does not have masks thereby adding facial expression with body movements and gestures.