Purulia Chhau Dance
A series of documentary films
Dr Kishore trained in Purulia Chhau under Padamshree awardee Nepal Mahato and Lalit Mahato.
He then went on to make short documentaries on Purulia Chhau, and utilised Chhau as a case study in his doctoral thesis.
He continues exploring various aspects of Chhau till date, and is one of the leading researcher/filmmaker on Purulia Chhau Dance form.
Purulia Chhau Dance
Purulia Chhau Dance
Mahisasur Mardini in Purulia Chhau Dance Style
Dancing for Themselves A Film By Vikrant Kishore
MAHISASUR MARDINI PURULIA CHHAU DANCE 2015
Purulia Chhau
(A collection of films analysing history, practice and aesthetics of Chhau dance).
Presented at the International Conference on Indigenous Languages, Traditional Music and Dance within an Intercultural Performance!)
Purulia Chhau Mask Aesthetics and Meaning by Dr Vikrant Kishore
Purulia Chhau (classified by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010) is a martial dance drama, mainly based on stories derived from Hindu mythological texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. Also known as the “dance drama of the gods,” it is performed by men who impersonate mythological characters of gods and demons by wearing elaborate masks and enacting the story in a performance tradition that melds dance, acrobatic routines, and martial arts. The dance repertoire includes incidents from mythology, carrying the message of good triumphing over evil (Kishore, 2014). Each dancer wears a mask in the Purulia style of Chhau, these masks are specifically designed keeping in mind the rasa (mood/emotion) of the story. Utilising the Rasa theory as propounded by Bharata (in Natyashastra), which is deeply embedded in the Hindu/Indian performing art forms, this creative work explores how Navarasas (the nine aesthetics, emotions, essence or sentiments) in context of the dance have been applied to the design and style of the Chhau masks (Dutta, 2013). The nine rasas are: Shringar (Romance, Erotic), Hasya (Humorous), Bibhatsa (Odious, disgust), Raudra (Fury, Anger, Terrible), Karuna (Compassion, Sympathy), Veera (Heroic), Bhayanaka (Fearful, Terrible, Horrifying), Adbhuta (Wonderous), and Shanta (Peaceful, Tranquil) (Schwartz, 2004). Most of the stories in Chhau revolve around war/combat therefore, Vira, Raudra and Bibhatsa rasas dominate the dance form (though the other rasas are also a very important part of the Chhau repertoire). Utilising the following dance pieces from the Purulia Chhau repertoire as case studies – 1. Mahisasur Mardini (The Killing of Demon Mahisasur), 2. Kirat Arjuna (The fight between the Tribal Man and the warrior Arjuna) and 3. Parasuramer Matri Hatya (The killing of Parshuram’s mother), I analyse the predominant rasas present in each of the dance forms, especially in relation to the design and representation of the various masks. I utilise the three creative projects (short films) that I have produced to conclude how the rasa-aesthetics dominate the Chhau dance’s mask stylisation and presentation.