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Arts
& Culture - Kerala
Introduction
For the
lover of dance, drama and music, Kerala is heaven. You have scores
of art forms, which are quite unique in nature to Kerala, like
Kathakali, Ottamthullal, Chakyar Koothu, Krishnanattam, Padayani,
Pavakathakali, Theyyam, Velakali, Thiruvathirakali, Kolkali etc.
Watch them and experience an endless and varied emotions to
win your passion, love, kindness, compassion, mirth, joy, sorrow,
grief, anger, wonder, horror, fear, valour, courage etc. And then
relax with the thought, all the world is a stage.
Kathakali
Is
Kathakali a stylized dance-drama? Is it a pantomime? Can it be
called a classical ballet? One of the world's top-ranking
poets and Nobel Laureates Rabindranath Tagore was instantly
impressed by the aesthetic range and the narrative techniques of
Kathakali when Kalamandalam presented a programme in Santiniketan.
Along with Manipuri Tagore included Kathakali in the curriculum of
Viswabharati. Kathakali was born only in the 17th century. But
in less than four centuries it grew up to represent India's cultural
heritage to the world outside. An eclectic art Kathakali
evolved its classicism receiving inspiration from most of its
predecessors such as Koodiyaattam,
Krishnanaattam, Raamanaattam, Theyyam,
Mudiyeettu and martial arts
like Padayani
and Kalarippayattu. 
Kathakali
plays have their themes selected
from the great Indian epics, Raamayana, Mahaabhaarata, and
the Bhaagavata. The play synchronizes on stage nritta
(pure dance), nritya
(expressional dance), naatya (histrionics), geeta
(vocal music) and
vaadya (percussion ensemble). Kathakali
characters communicate through the language of hand-gestures (over
six hundred gestures are in use), body movements and facial
expressions. The text of the play is sung by the principal and
supporting vocalists. The dancers simiotically translate the
songs into appropriate gestures, movements and expressions.
Chenda and Maddalam are the two major percussion instruments used in
Kathakali. They provide audio effect to the performance by
tracing the character.
A colorfully deco rated
piece of cloth functioning as a curtain, movable to any part of the
stage and called tirassiila
is held by two persons just
before the entry and exit of all
main characters and on other specific occasions such as
manifestation of deities. This is a traditional theatrical
device to transcend time and space. The Malayalam term tirassiila
means ‘wave cloth’. The allusion is to the popular belief
that the king of Kottaarakkara, who formalized Raamanaattam, the
immediate predecessor of Kathakali
visualized the
superhuman characters as though they were playing on the waves of
ocean. It may also be
noted in this connection that it is the
portion below the skirt of the Kathakali characters which
appears to have received the least attention of
the costuming and make-up artist. 
Kathakali
make-up and costuming ( the aahaarya aspect of acting ) is
intricate, elaborate and colorful. It takes about
three hours for an actor to transform into a
full-fledged character with facial make-up, head-gear, ornaments and
colorful costumes. Kathakali characters are broadly divided
into noble, wicked and grotesque. Their make-up and costumes
differ from one another. Love, Separation, virtue vs vice,
comic-relief, emotional struggles, gruesome-war and murder are
common scenes in the Kathakali plays. More than the
themes, the stylistics of individual performers is the abiding
passion of Kathakali fans.
Arts
& Dance - Kerala
Koodiyattam
|| Mohiniyattam
|| Velakali ||
Thiruvathirakali || Kaliyoottu
Kanniyarkali
|| Kavadiyattam ||
Kolkali ||
Kalaripayattu
Bharathanatyam |
