The men wear the traditional dhoti similar to the skirt worn by the females. Bead jewelry is work on the neck, ears, and hands.

The headgear worn is made of bamboo and adorned with bird feathers. On the bottom, they wrap a dark black or brown skirt with red and white horizontal stripes of various colors. The women are seen wearing long-sleeved white blouses with a red and black checked pattern on the chest and the sleeves. Dance CostumeĬheraw dancers are required to put on the traditional attire of the Nagas. The sliding bamboos also produce a sound that enhances the program. The dancers recite “hih-hoh” along with the singers during the entire performance.

The dancers move in and out from the grid formed by the horizontal bamboos, initially slow and gradually picking up pace. The steps are simple and calculated hops between the bamboo sticks, avoiding any contact with the sticks. The dancers match their footsteps to the shifting bamboos. This is where the dancers stand and move their feet to rhythmic music. This alignment of the bamboos creates small grids in the space between the vertical bamboos. Three to four people sit on either side of this structure and slide the horizontal bamboos in a rhythm. On top of these multiple sticks are placed horizontally. Two bamboo sticks are placed vertically leaving some space in between. The dance requires a great deal of skill and practice and is, therefore, performed by professionals only. The Cheraw dance is a group activity, where some people handle the bamboo sticks and the others dance in the mesh-like structure created with bamboo sticks. It is performed by both men and women of the tribe. It is the essence of all major festivals held in Nagaland. Cheraw Dance PerformanceĬheraw dance performance is worth being a part of. Now Cheraw dance is a source of entertainment for the people during the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland. However, with time the meaning has changed. The dance performance was for the peace of a mother’s soul who died during childbirth, leaving the child behind in this world. According to tribal history, Bamboo dance might have originated in the first century AD. The Bamboo dance got its name from the prop used during the dance, the bamboo sticks. Cheraw dance is known as the Bamboo dance in Mizoram.

Cheraw dance songs mp3