Chhau dance
Sign in to saveChhau, also spelled Chhou, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha.
Key facts
- Dance.name
- Chhau
- Dance.image
- File:Chhau Nritya (1).jpg
- Dance.caption
- Chhau performing artists
- Dance.genre
- Semi Indian classical dance
- Dance.origin
- West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, India
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Features of Chhau
- Three styles of Chhau
- Recognition
- In popular culture
- Chhau mask
- Gallery
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Chhau, also spelled Chhou, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha.
The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia and Serakeilla using masks to identify the character. The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Indian literature.