Chhou Naach (Chhou Dance):

There are very little documentations available on traditional art, craft and culture of tribal of Jharkhand, India. This article provides an overview of one of the most exciting tribal dance "Chhou Naach" which is yet to be explored completely. However, state government of Jharkhand, India organizes various cultural events in the state but Chhou dance is very rarely done. This is not because people performing Chhou dance are conservative, but because of lack of knowledge or lack of promotion of this traditional dance form. This article is a little effort for the promotion of Traditional Tribal Culture.

Locality:

Chhou dance is found in the tribal areas of Jharkhand and some parts of Chattisgarh and Orissa states of India. There are no specific evidences available which describe the actual history behind Chhou dance. Hence, it is assumed that Chhou dance is one of the advanced dance form of traditional tribal dance which has developed gradually during the course of interactions with other neighboring cultures.

Introduction:

"Chhou Naach" is a dance mostly done in open field and in the night. The dance arena is generally surrounded by fire poles called mashaal for lighting purpose. However, due to the urbanization in some parts, fire poles have been replaced by electrical lights. The artists go for a bath and puja before performing this dance as the characters they play are of gods. The Chhou dancers use big size colourful decorative masks. These masks are made of paper mache', light wood and paper. Chhou naach is a tribal form of "nritya natika" (Dance Drama) where various characters with Chhou masks play mythological characters. Most of these plays are based on "Mahabharat" and "Ramayan". This mythological touch in Chhou dance makes it very spiritual and respectful. The characters of Chhou dance wear traditions ornaments and dance with weapons. Their cloths are very colourful. Chhou dance should NOT be misunderstood with other folk dances of India like Kuchipudi etc. Chhou dance involves lots of gymnastic actions in the dance sequences and most of the characters are very aggressive in nature. This dance drama is supported by traditions nagada(Drums) and flute as background sound and rhythm of dance action varies with the modulations of drum beats. The audience enjoying Chhou Naach feels increase in their heart beats.

Unlike other tribal dances, direct contribution from women in Chhou dance is not visible. This also makes Chhou dance different from other folk dances of tribes.

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Source: This source of this article "Unexplored Tribal Dance" is www.artilysis.com, a website dedicated to promote "Rare and Offbeat Artworks" all over the world. For more information and pictorial on Chhou Dance, please visit "http://www.artilysis.com>

Artilysis welcomes articles on Chhou dance from other readers and writers to enrich the documentation.

This article is written by Mr. Shandilya Ajay Singh, a freelance writer from India who writes as his hobby. The writer belongs to Jharkhand, India and spent more than 21 years in the woods and valley of Jharkhand. The writer may be directly contacted on shandilya_a[a]yahoo.com

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