The origins of Chhau dance can be traced to the tribal culture of Orissa.Ancient warriors of this region used to perform this dance during their training.Therefore, this dance is martial in nature. Today this dance form is practiced in Orissa, Bengal and Bihar. Chhau gets its name from the word Chhaya (shade). This is because of the masks worn by the dancers while performing this dance.
The characters of the story are depicted by masks in Chhau dance.Although at Mayurbhanj School, dancers are known to perform this dance without masks.The music accompanying this dance is based on Hindustani classical music.Musical instruments like drums and reed pipes are used for this dance.
As this dance as a part of martial art, earlier only men used to perform this dance including the women character. But now even women have entered the arena and mastered this art.
Due to the dance being physically demanding in nature, the dancers can get exhausted after a short time. Therefore it`s played over brief period except in the Purulia School where they can have nightlong performances.
One of the main and unique characteristics of this dance, is emotions are not depicted by facial expressions but by legs. The dance has very detailed footwork, jumps etc. to convey the emotions of the character.
This highly energetic dance tells the stories from ancient mythologies like Mahabharata, Ramayana and other folklores. It depicts the nature in dance forms like Sagar Nritya and animal kingdom like sarpa, mayura dance. Melody, mood and rhythm all go hand in hand in making Chhau dance a success.