Revolving around religious themes like Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism, Chaau Dance ranges from commemorating martial arts, athletics and acrobatics in convivial themes of folklore to an assembled dance form. As the roots of Chaau Dance are deeply embedded in religious festivals, notably they are performed during the spring festival Chaitra Parva.
Chaau Dance also spelled as chau or chaauu, is a tribal dance form which is a mixture of dance with martial arts. It is performed in three styles, named after the place where it originated. The Chhau dance of Odisha is known as the Mayurbhanj Chhau. In Jharkhand and West Bengal, they are known as Seraikella chhau and Purulia chhau respectively. Even though the costumes wore in the Chaau Dance differ in their forms the story depicted is almost the same. The stories depicted in the dance forms take their inspiration from Hindu epics, notably the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
With time, the dance lost its overtly martial appearance and turned into dance form, though the roots can still be seen today in the weapon props and dance poses. It is however, still a very male dominated field, though there are many female dancers of renown who practice this elegant dance form.