Kathakali is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, South India, which dates from t he 17th century and is rooted in Hindu mythology. Kathakali has a unique combination of literature, music, painting, acting and dance. In the following pages we have placed photographs and videos of Kathakali performances and songs by famous Kathakali singers.
Kathakali is considered to be a combination of five elements of fine art:
Expressions (Natyam, the component with emphasis on facial expressions)
Dance (Nritham, the component of dance with emphasis on rhythm and movement of hands, legs and body)
Enactment (Nrithyam, the element of drama with emphasis on "mudras", which are hand gestures)
Song/vocal accompaniment (Geetha)
Instrument accompaniment (Vadyam)
The themes of the Kathakali are religious in nature. They typically deal with the Mahabarat, the Ramayana and the ancient scriptures known as the Puranas. This is performed in a text which is generally Sanskritised Malayalam.
The actors rely very heavily on hand gesture to convey the story. These hand gestures, known as mudra, are common through out much of classical Indian dance. |
