26-Jan-2018: National Palace Museum of Taiwan to stage traditional Indian dance performance

Indian troupe Sarberiya Milan Sangha Chhau Nritya Party is set to stage a traditional Indian Chhau dance at National Palace Museum Jan. 27 in Taipei City, as part of efforts to strengthen cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the South Asian nation.

Jointly organized by NPM and India-Taipei Association, “Chhau Nritya: Dancing Tales from India” will be presented by Sarberiya Milan Sangha Chhau Nritya Party—a troupe sponsored by New Delhi-headquartered India Council for Cultural Relations.

Chhau features dancers in colorful masks and costumes performing movements inspired by animals, birds, martial arts and tribal and folk customs. The practice was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Chhau shows typically depict episodes from classic Hindu epics. The NPM event will comprise three sections: “Mahishasura Vadh,” the mythical tale of the buffalo demon Mahishasura and his death at the hands of the Goddess Durga; “Kirata Arjuna Saga,” a story from the Sanskrit text Mahabharata about the heroic archer Arjuna; and “Abhimanyu Vadh,” another legend from the Mahabharata about Arjuna’s son, the warrior Abhimanyu.

The Indian troupe will stage another performance of the show the following day at Dream Community, an artistic venue in New Taipei City’s Xizhi District.

Background:

Chhau, a form of tribal martial dance of India, is believed to have originated in the former princely state of Mayurbhanj. Today, three variations of the dance are performed in eastern India – Seraikella Chhau in Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj Chhau in Orissa, and Purulia Chhau in West Bengal. All the dances are performed with masks. However the masks, style and accompanying music of each form is noticeably different.

The forms:

Seraikella Chhau – Based on martial arts, the Seraikella Chhau follows the tenets of Natya Shastra as propounded in our scriptures. The use of masks is its uniqueness and the dancer uses these to clarify and depict the theme of the dance. The dancer expresses different emotions, notions and ideas with the drum beats (Tal) and musical rhythms. The dance runs in three phases i.e. Sthayee (Permanent posture), Madhyala (Intermediate movements), and Drut (Faster movements). Various topics from Ramayana and Mahabharata, abstract ideas, and common social incidents form the subject matter of these dances.

Mayurbhanj Chhau – Mayurbhanj Chhau dance form has a long history. Originally a tribal dance, which originated from the forests of Mayurbhanj, Odisha, in the 18th century, it got the status of a martial art form in the 19th century. Slowly & steadily Mayurbhanj Chhau left its martial character and got mellowed. Under the royal patronage it received proper attention & direction and showed a bright future and utmost perfection as a dance of excellent style in the field of eastern art and culture of India. Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks and is technically similar to the Seraikella Chhau.

Purulia Chhau - Chhau in West Bengal has a distinctive character of its own. Though it has not changed much in spirit from its hunting or warfare origins due to lack of sustained patronage, its outer form has been altered to an extent. In fact the Purulia Chhau is almost an antithesis of the sophisticated and stylised Seraikella form.

Brief and simple rituals precede the performances usually conducted before a Shiva temple or in the village square. Basically, a ritual dance, Chhau was performed on the occasion of the sun festival observed at the end of the month of Chaitra (mid-April) as per the Bengali calendar. With time Chhau has become an integral part of other festivals too. It also provides an opportunity for groups of young people to pursue it as a profession. There are many renowned Chhau dancers in Purulia like late Gambhir Sing Mura and Nepal Chandra Mahato; both were Padmashree awardees.

No dais or raised platform is constructed for Chhau. Spectators crowd around in a circle and enjoy the unfolding story squatting on the bare ground. The dance usually starts as darkness falls and continues till dawn. The reverberating drum is an important part of the performance. With the rumble and a thunderous invocation to Lord Ganesha, the dance begins. As the invocation fades out, musicians builds up the crescendo with the dhol and the dhamsa (both percussion instruments). The flute-like marui holds the notes and the melody of the rendition. In Purulia Chhau the chief drummer sings the introductory song or renders rhythmic passages during the performance, unlike the Seraikella Chhau. As opposed to the godly hero a demon engages in vigorous somersaults at the entre to make the distinction between the unbridled and the stoic. The stories selected for the dance are usually based on episodes of the Hindu mythological epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Sometimes episodes from Puranas are also used. Two rasas, emotions, dominate the performance, i.e., vira,  power and Rudra, strength. The victory of good over the evil is the central theme of most of the dances – ‘Mahisaur Badha’, ‘Mahiraban Badha’, ‘Kiratarjun’, ‘Abhimanyu Badha’, ‘Bokasur Badha’. No woman participate in Chhau, men perform the female roles with élan.