Chau Dance in West Bengal

The Chhou is unique form of masked dance. The dancer impersonates a god, animal, bird, hunter, flower. He acts out a short theme. And he performs a series of short themes mailny during the month of Chaitra ( April). Chhou masks have predominantly human features slightly modified to suggest what they are portraying. The performer's face being expressionless, the dancer's body communicates the total emotional and psychological tensions of a character. His feet have a gesture language, his toes are agile, functional, and expressive, like those of animal. The dancer is mute, no song is sung. Only, instrumental music ( bamboo flute, drums ) accompany him. The dance is very vigorus and acrobatic. Chhau mask dance is predominantly a Bhumij art. All the majority of dancer are Bhumji.