Kathakali - Introduction

Kathakali is unique in the fact that unlike the other classical dances of India one cannot make a clear distinction between the dance and drama portions of it. Kathakali is not a solo dance like Bharatanatyam, nor is it a court dance like Kathak or lyrical like Manipuri. Instead Kathakali is characterized by a strong dramatic element, where the dancers play the role of supernatural characters. It is an awe inspiring experience to watch the dance, with its fantastic costumes and make up and dramatic presentation.

Kathakali like all the classical dances of India has evolved over hundreds of years. Essentially it originated in South India, in the region which today forms the state of Kerela. In Kerela there existed an ancient form of drama known as Chakya Kottu which was very popular at the time. In the rest of South India too there were several dance and drama forms known as attams that contributed to the evolution of Kathakali. The Tirayattam and Kudiyattam were some of the prominent ones, with the latter still performed in Kerela. Tirayattam was a pure dance form without any literary content. They used masks and face painting for makeup. Interestingly the make up on the dancers was based on the patterns used in the dance. The elaborate make up of Kathakali can probably be traced back to this period. Kudiyattam was a

dance-drama form that can be regarded as the source of some of the dramatic elements in Kathakali dance. The presenter was known as the Vidushaka and it was his task to be able to convey the meaning of the Sanskrit words spoken by the hero to the audience in a language understood by them. In this form the actor often spoke the lines himself whilst dancing and was accompanied by light music. Some of the ancient martial art-dances and folk dances also contributed significantly to the development of Kathakali. The Kathakali concepts of massaging the body to make it more flexible, the extraordinary leg extensions , the jumps and leaps that are characteristic of Kathakali all owe their origins to the well developed aerobic and fencing tradition of the region. One must also look at the literary work that contributed to the development of Kathakali. Kerela was deeply influenced by several works like the Gita Govina and several Vaishnavite works. South India was home to a rich repository of literature in various languages and hence dance-dramas had a lot of material to work with. Hence Kathakali evolved into a dance that presented stories in a dramatic way.

Kathakali is unique in the fact that unlike the other classical dances of India one cannot make a clear distinction between the dance and drama portions of it. Kathakali is not a solo dance like Bharatanatyam, nor is it a court dance like Kathak or lyrical like Manipuri. Instead Kathakali is characterized by a strong dramatic element, where the dancers play the role of supernatural characters. It is an awe inspiring experience to watch the dance, with its fantastic costumes and make up and dramatic presentation.

Kathakali like all the classical dances of India has evolved over hundreds of years. Essentially it originated in South India, in the region which today forms the state of Kerela. In Kerela there existed an ancient form of drama known as Chakya Kottu which was very popular at the time. In the rest of South India too there were several dance and drama forms known as attams that contributed to the evolution of Kathakali. The Tirayattam and Kudiyattam were some of the prominent ones, with the latter still performed in Kerela. Tirayattam was a pure dance form without any literary content. They used masks and face painting for makeup. Interestingly the make up on the dancers was based on the patterns used in the dance. The elaborate make up of Kathakali can probably be traced back to this period. Kudiyattam was a dance-drama form that can be regarded as the source of some of the dramatic elements in Kathakali dance. The presenter was known as the Vidushaka and it was his task to be able to convey the meaning of the Sanskrit words spoken by the hero to the audience in a language understood by them. In this form the actor often spoke the lines himself whilst dancing and was accompanied by light music. Some of the ancient martial art-dances and folk dances also contributed significantly to the development of Kathakali. The Kathakali concepts of massaging the body to make it more flexible, the extraordinary leg extensions , the jumps and leaps that are characteristic of Kathakali all owe their origins to the well developed aerobic and fencing tradition of the region. One must also look at the literary work that contributed to the development of Kathakali. Kerela was deeply influenced by several works like the Gita Govina and several Vaishnavite works. South India was home to a rich repository of literature in various languages and hence dance-dramas had a lot of material to work with. Hence Kathakali evolved into a dance that presented stories in a dramatic way.