Kathakali - The Soul of Kerala Arts
Posted on April 27, 2008 in Art & Culture by Gitanjali
India is a land of numerous art forms which are as diverse as her languages and cultures; customs and tradition. They say that variety is the spice of life. Mother India is indeed a land which amply offers a multitude of art forms each with its own interesting myths, legends and history tagged to it.
Kathakali is a traditional dance drama which originated in Kerala, one of the southern states of India between the 16th and 17th centuries. Kathakali is believed to be an offshoot of ‘Ramanattom’ (‘attom’ means enactment) while some sources propose the possibility of it having originated from ‘Krishnanattom’ as well. This art form combines body movements as well as facial expressions to bring out the thought and emotion of the role/character played by a performer.
Components of Kathakali
Kathakali is comprised of five components which complete the art. They are:
Expression (‘Natyam’ with thrust on facial expression)
Dance (‘Nritham’ which focuses on the body language, i.e. the rhythm and movements of the hands, legs and body)
Enactment (‘Nrithyam’ with focus on ‘mudras’, hand gestures)
Song accompaniment (Geeta)
Instrumental accompaniment (Vadyam)
The theme
Predominantly performed by males, the theme of kathakali is typically religious in nature and depicts incidents from popular epics like the ‘Ramayana’, the ‘Mahabharata’ and other ancient texts known as ‘puranas’. The performances usually begin at dusk and proceed throughout the night until dawn. The dance drama is preceded by ‘kelikottu’ which means announcing people about the performance by using drums, cymbals and gongs. The female characters in the story/theme are enacted by males themselves by guising as females. However, more and more females are entering and significantly contributing to this art.
The costume
The costume of kathakali is colourful and is distinct in maintaining accordance to the character played by the performer. The make-up is heavy and elaborate and can be divided into five, viz. pacha, kathi (the villain), kari, minukku (females) and taadi. Pacha (green) is the make-up colour given to satvik (noble) and rajasic (kingly) characters. Characters like hunters (considered uncivilized) are represented by black make-up and a black beard and are known as kari/karutha tadi (black beard). Such costumes and colours reflect specific ‘gunas’ (attributes) and emotions.
Training centres
The most popular training centres, which follow the ancient ‘gurukula’ style are:
Kerala Kalamandalam (in Cheruthuruthy), PSV Natya Sanghom (in Kottakal), Gandhi Seva Sadan Kathakali and Classic Arts Academy (in Perur) and Unnayi Varier Smaraka Kalanilayam (in Iringalakuda).
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