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In ancient Bengal, dancing was popular entertainment. Courtesans and temple
girls (devadasis) were required to be proficient in the art of dance prescribed
by Bharata in his 'Natysastra'. Popular forms of dancing were rendered at mundane
celebrations and on other occasions by low-caste tribes Nats and Domnis (women of the Dom
caste) who practiced dancing and singing as hereditary professions. In the
Middle ages, probably the institution of temple girls become obsolescent and
class dancing was limited to courtesans. As a result dancing came to be looked
down up on in respectable society.
Rabindranath Tagore has the credit of rehabilitating
dancing as a fine
art to be learnt by young as a part of their education. In his school at
Santiniketan and later in his university Viswabharati, he provided ample
facilities for training in these acquirements. He had profound admiration for the
rich treasure of the classical dances of India but he thought these required too
rigid a discipline and too elaborate a training to be feasible for the general
public. He therefore introduced a simple course of instruction in dancing to
his songs of the seasons. By 1926 this developed into a flexible system
compounding elements of Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak, Kathakali and folk
styles. This creative system was very well received by the Bengali public and
has since grown into a major cultural activity. A large number of institutions
teaching the elements of classical dances and presenting ballet compositions
have come into existence in Calcutta and the towns. Evolution of an Indian
ballet tradition has been the quest of institution presided over by Udayashankar, who well versed in European ballet made his debut in this
field in 1929 and has made Calcutta his headquarters since over a decades ago. During the last twenty five years the new dance movement has made
considerable progress not only in West Bengal but also other parts of India and
Bangladesh.
The
Santals inhabiting the plateau Fringe
have their own system of group dancing to the accompaniment of song, the flute
and Madal (a minor drum) to express their joy of life. It is full-blooded and
exuberant but notably free from vulgarity or obscenity.
Chhau
Dance
The Chhau dance of
Purulia district is a sophisticated dance system in Bengal. The Chhau dance is a mask dance. There is no Chhau without mask. This dance
is usually performed by male dancers. Chhau dance of Purulia has some characteristics
of primitive ritualistic dance in its vigour, style and musical accompaniment
mainly the drum. The symbols were once used as facial painting or body painting
by dancers who were thus recognized as personifying the characters they
stimulated and the masks appeared later.
The best Chhau dance groups or parties are located within
Baghmundi P.S. They
are the best because of their traditional vigorous and heroic style of
performance. The other groups (Domordi-group, Birgram-group, Madla-group etc )
are more sophisticated and refined both in their themes and dance-styles. The
Chorda-group of dancers are not only best performs of heroic Pauranic themes,
but also are very much selective about such themes for their performance. Chhau mask dance is predominantly a Bhumij art. All the majority of dancer are
Bhumji.
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