Kathakali - The Green Element of Kerala
Posted on September 21, 2008 in Art & Culture by Lalita
Kerala has more to offer than its beautiful scenery, tea gardens, lakes and backwaters- the vast culture. Kathakali is a part of this ancient country of god.
Kathakali means story-dance-katha meaning story, and kali meaning dance. This dance is popular mainly because of the make up that is used in it. The dance form uses green colored make-up which is traditionally made. Along with the green there are other prominent colors which represent different things. The green is a symbol of godliness. The red represents violence. White is for spirituality. Yellow is a combination of godliness and violence.
The make-up of Kathakali is of five types. The make-up differs according to the role-types. The categories are Minukku, Katti, Kari, Pachcha, Taadi. The Taadi is further classified into three groups- Karuputtadi, Chuvanatadi, and Velaputaadi.
The dance of Kathakali has it’s origins in the ancient times. There have been mentions of this dance form in many ancient scriptures of the Vedic age. It is said to have become a completely accomplished dance by the 17th century.
The music of kathakali is usually slow. The movements might look simple but are difficult to perform. Mastering this dance-form takes a long time. The expressions and steps in Kathakali demand a high amount of concentration. Thus, learning this dance takes perseverance and dedication.
The music of kathakali is based on the notes of Carnatic music. The songs are sung in the Sopanam style. This is a heavy and plain note form of music. The dance uses all the essential three elements of dance- natya, nritta and abhinaya.
The plays of kathakali are based on stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana and other ancient stories. In all, Kathakali has 101 set plays that the dancers perform. Dancers are now experimenting with new stories. As Kathakali is a dramatized version of all stories, the old stories come to life on the green faces of the dancers.
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