There was a time, when things like
rain, ripening of crops, and the warmth of sun used to amuse men as they
couldn’t apprehend the significance of these natural phenomena. That amusement
was often expressed through different forms of dance. Later they started to
believe that their dance could please the nature and by pleasing this unknown
power they could avoid natural calamities.
At that period of time, surviving the
wild was quite tough. That is why men learnt the art of preying pretty quickly.
Before going out for preying, people used to dance to fill those men with
enthusiasm. Sometimes they copied the movements and voices different of
animals. They often used animal skins and masks as a camouflage.
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| Image Source: gettyimages |
Fighting the nature and the wild
wasn’t enough. In order to survive, they used to fight their own kind. With
time they adapted different moves of fighting, which eventually took the form
of dance. History says that, at a certain point of time, the evolution of dance
was influenced by a religion as well.
It has been proven that all these
historical elements are still present in Chhau dance form. If we take a look at
the regions of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal- where Chhau has its roots,
we’ll find that these places are mostly dry and rough in nature. But most of the
people of these regions are farmers and the Chhau programs are held in summer
(between Chaitra and Jaistha), which supports the fact that this dance is
performed to please the nature.
As mentioned earlier, preying has its
reflection in some of the acts of Chhau. In the dance form of Purulia Chhau the
movements of a tiger, deer, peacock, snake and different birds are noticeable.
Acts like “Kirat Karatini Paala” and “Shikar Nritya” show the characteristics
of wild. These facts say that Chhau was actually originated in the ancient age.
The acts of Seraikela Chhau like
“Baanbidhya”, “Parashuram”, “Shabar”,”Sarpnritya” also depict the art of
preying which is also seen in some of the acts of Mayurbhanj Chhau such as
“Shabartoka”, “Jaamdev”, “Kalchakra” etc.
If we look closely, we will see that
in every performance of Chhau, there’s a battle. Every step of Chhau dance,
reminds us of the movement of a warrior. In acts like “Mahishasur Vad”, "Tarakasur Vad”, “Mahiravan Vad”, “Gayasur Vad”, “Ravan Vad”, “Baali-Sugreev
Yudh” and “Krishna-Karthik Yudh”, the battle between two forces is clearly
visible.
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| Image Source: gettyimages |
In the dance form of Seraikela and
Mayurbhanj Chhau, the characteristics of “Fakirkand Khela” and “Rukhmaar” are
very sharp and there’s no doubt that these two dance forms were originated from
battles.
“Astradanda” and “Taravari Nritya” of
Seraikela Chhau try to uphold the ancient art of battle. The Singhdeo rulers of
Seraikela had nurtured this dance form to give it an elegant look and made it
more artistic.
The use of masks also makes Chhau an
ancient dance form. In ancient times, it was said that one could overcome fear
by wearing a mask and triumph over the evil. In Purulia and Seraikela Chhau dance
forms, masks play an integral part.
Chhau wouldn’t have existed in the
modern times if it wasn’t for the tribal people of these regions. Because of
these people Chhau hasn’t faced extinction yet. Tribal hunting and their
martial arts have their touch in the dance forms of Chhau. Even on the masks,
the influence of tribal culture is clearly visible.
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| Image Source: gettyimages |
In the next stages of evolution,
Chhau has been influenced by folk elements as well. The Chhau dance we see
today has a positive folk inspiration, which is far from doubt.
Being a folk dance form, it also possesses
few characteristics of a classical dance form. Great poet Rabindra Nath Tagore
has said, “I have derived great satisfaction from witnessing the Seraikella
dance. The ancient art of classical Indian dancing is gradually heading for
extinction. The Raj family of Seraikella has carefully preserved one of its
characteristic forms from time immemorial- an achievement on which they can
justly take pride.”
Few artists and experts of the dance
form claim that Chhau has its own grammar, but there is no such written
evidence. In Mayurbhanj Chhau, Indian classical music is used. Because, of the
Seraikela Raj family, Chhau has been enriched with few elements classical
dance form.
