MAHISASUR VADH – Chhau Group ║ BackPack Studio™ (Season 2) ║ Indian Folk Music – Jharkhand
The Manbhum Chhau is a martial art dance performed by all communities of Jharkhand where the group of dancers wear heavy masks and brightly coloured costumes and traditional ornaments to give an attractive look. The mask is used for the description of the character. What is typical about this dance form is that there are hardly any words spoken and the entire story is performed with the help of body actions and movements. Be it Veer Ras or Karun Ras, the dancer depicts them only through his actions. The dance form can also be called as a martial art because of the extreme movements like Ucchlan (jumping), Baaji (springing) etc. Chhau dance has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible international heritage. It is believed that the dance form began in Jharkhand hundreds of years ago, and is now popular in Odisha and West Bengal too. Depending on the area, the dance form has ‘gharanas’ or specialist schools or methods. Some popular types of Chhau dance are Manbhum Chhau (with big masks), Saraikela Chhau (smaller masks), Kharsawan Chhau and Khunti Chau all from Jharkhand. Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha and Purliya Chhau of West Bengal are also other forms.
