CHHAU DANCE... #21 Sketchbook project.

The word Chhau originated from a Sanskrit word Chaaya which means Shadow. This folk dance is a popular dance from West Bengal. This regional dance form is performed during spring festival which is celebrated during Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.

This is a mythological dance form which is inspired by various episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The dance is performed in an open space with performers wearing various colorful costumes according to their roles.
West Bengal proudly presented the folk dance to the world by approving it as a theme for West Bengal’s tableau during 1995 republic day parade.

The Chhau is a unique form of masked dance. The dancer impersonates a god, animal, bird, hunter, flower. Then acts out a short theme. Chhou masks have predominantly human features slightly modified to suggest what they are portraying. The performer's face is expressionless, the dancer's body communicates the total emotional and psychological tensions of a character. His feet have a gesture language, his toes are agile, functional, and expressive, like those of animal. The dancer is mute, no song is sung. Only, instrumental music ( bamboo flute, drums ) accompany him. The dance is very vigorous and acrobatic.