If Mayurbhanj is the epitome of the essence of a rich cultural tradition in the eastern part of Odisha, Chhau dance would be the jewel on its crown.
Besides Similipal, the war dance form, Chhau, perhaps creates another identity for this tribal dominated district, also known for its green cover and a wide spectrum of wildlife stock besides many art and handicrafts.
To promote the dance, the district administration is now holding the Project Chhauni this year during Chaitra Parva started from Monday.
The Project Chauni was initiated with an idea of facilitating the artistes of Mayurbhanj Chhau with an innovative module of training and subsequent performance leading to a respectable livelihood. It was launched on May 19, 2016, by district Collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil.
The project was conceived and prepared by Subhasree Mukherjee, a Chhau dancer herself and resident of Baripada, who has also worked closely with Chhau artistes and organizers in the past.
To reinitiate the Guru-Sishya Parampara, ideally practiced in the past to infuse the artistic values and competitive spirit among the students , Project Chhauni has established “Mayurbhanj Chhau Academy”(MCA). Under this academy there would be training classes at various places of the district which would impart proper standardize training to the next generation and prepare them.
In the coming days the project will come up with interactional training workshops to choreograph both traditional and contemporary Chhau repertoire. Project Chhauni will always create scope of training and proper exposure to the artistes.
In the past years, the dance has witnessed many changes. Foreign artistes have embraced it with complete dedication and also artistes from other dance forms have experimented with Chhau in their contemporary creations.