The 800-year old traditional dance mesmerized the audience. A Chhaau dance performance was held at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) on Monday.
The event was organised by Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture among Youth (SPIC MACAY). Artists of Chhau dance troupe gave an enthralling performance before the students.
The artists gave a performance on a mythological tale based on peacock at MANIT, leaving an impact over the audiences.
The artists performed the Mahisasur vadh at MANIT. Dressed in heavy masks and beautifully sparkling costumes, the artists displayed the mythological stories live on stage.
Basically, the themes for chhau dance include local legends, folklore and episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and other abstract themes.
The protagonists are both classical and mythical, like the lord Shiva, goddess Durga, Kartik, Ganesha, Kirat, Ravana, Mahishasur and others.
Highly decorated masks of various characters worn by the dancers added an extra effect to their performance. These masks concealed the facial expressions of the artists but, it helped them to portray the various characters related to different themes they were playing on stage.
The lighting effect was such that explains the expression of the scene.
The use of red, green and blue light effect strengthened their performance and it was more like an opera performance.
Information on Chhau dance and Purulia district of West Bengal was also given to the audience so that they could enjoy the show with more excitement.
The audiences took the pleasure to enjoy the performance whole heartedly.