Read on to learn about 14 Dance forms of India: Bharatnatyam, Tamil Nadu Kathak, Uttar Pradesh, North India Kathakali, Kerala, South India Manipuri, Manipur, North East India Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh Odissi, Odisha, East India … In the all Indian classical dance form, kathakali dance form is one of the most famous form in the world for its costumes which are generally use to perform story or a play In the costumes consisting head mask, and colorful painted face, and dress. [42] Demonesses and treacherous characters are also painted black but with streaks or patches of red. Like bharatanatyam, kathakali is a religious dance. The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means "story", and Kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories". [11][12][16] Dance and performance arts, states this ancient Hindu text,[17] are a form of expression of spiritual ideas, virtues and the essence of scriptures. These plays are written in a particular format that helps identify the "action" and the "dialogue" parts of the performance. Kathakali which literally means story (katha) and dance (kali), evolved as a ­full-fledged classical art form only in the 17 th century but it dates back to ancient folk arts like Koodiyattam which were in existence in the 1 st millennium CE. Kathakali (katha, story, kali, performance) is a special type of Indian dance drama. [10][39] Pachcha (green) with lips painted brilliant coral red portrays noble characters and sages such as Krishna, Vishnu, Rama, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Nala and philosopher-kings. [63][64] It is traditionally attributed to Unniri Panikkar, in a Brahmin household (~1850), and became the dominant style established in Kerala Kalamandalam – a school of performance arts. Both deploy a host of similar traditional Indian musical instruments. [56] Of these, about four dozen are most actively performed. His request was not only denied but was also responded with humiliation and indignity. Characters with vividly painted… whereas kathakali is dance form of kerla. N Pani (2009), Hinduism, in Handbook of Economics and Ethics (Editors: Jan Peil and Irene Staveren), Edward Elgar, D. Appukuttan Nair, Ayyappa K. Paniker 1993, http://www.elnortedecastilla.es/culturas/201607/25/quijote-medio-camino-entre-20160721111257.html, "The Treasure Chest of Cultural Patronage", "In the Shadow of Hollywood Orientalism: Authentic East Indian Dancing", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kathakali&oldid=992326173, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Malayalam-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Nambeesan Smaraka Awards — For artistic performances related kathakali (1992-2008), This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 18:01. They typically deal with the Mahabarat, the Ramayana and the ancient scriptures known as the Puranas. The elaborate costumes of Kathakalihave become the most re­cog­nised icon for Kerala. ‘Ramanattam’ differed from ‘Krishnanattam’ of Sri Manavedan Raja as the former was written in local Malayalam language while the latter was in Sanskrit. The dance form originated from the Southindian state called Kerala. [41] Teppu is for special characters found in Hindu mythologies, such as Garuda, Jatayu and Hamsa who act as messengers or carriers, but do not fit the other categories. [9][74] Kathak traditionally has included female actor-dancers, unlike Kathakali which has traditionally been performed by an all-male troupe. The themes of the Kathakali are religious in nature. 1, Rosen Publishing, M Innes-Brown and S Chatterjee (1999), The Relevance of the Guna Theory in the Congruence of Eastern Values and Western Management Practice, Journal of Human Values, 5(2), pages 93-102. [2][3][note 1] Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of Kerala. [4] Kathakali is different from a similar-sounding Kathak, though both are Indian classical dance traditions of "story play" wherein the stories have been traditionally derived from the Hindu epics and the Puranas. While Jones and Ryan mention that this genre of performing art dates back to over 500 years, according to Mahinder Singh its roots are way more ancient dating back to around 1500 years. Some major musical patterns, according to Clifford and Betty, that go with the moods and content of the scene are: Chempada (most common and default that applies to a range of moods, in battles and fights between good and evil, also to conclude a scene); Chempa music (depict tension, dispute, disagreement between lovers or competing ideas); Panchari (for odious, preparatory such as sharpening a sword); Triputa (thought-provoking, scenes involving sages and teachers); Adantha (scenes involving kings or divine beings); Muri Adantha musical style (for comic, light-hearted, or fast-moving scenes involving heroic or anger-driven activity). This is perf… Kathakali is an impressive form of classical dance originated more than 500 years ago in the southern state of Kerala. [24], The makeup follows an accepted code, that helps the audience easily identify the archetypal characters such as gods, goddesses, demons, demonesses, saints, animals and characters of a story. [42] Vella Thadi (white beard) represents a divine being, someone with virtuous inner state and consciousness such as Hanuman. However it … Kathakali is a dance-drama form of Kerala. [2][3][5])India, Kathakalī's roots are unclear. In Kathakali, male actors traditionally wear clothes of female dancers, use elaborately colored make-up, costumes and face masks. Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in the world. [33], The performance involves actor-dancers in the front, supported by musicians in the background stage on right (audience's left) and with vocalists in the front of the stage (historically so they could be heard by the audience before the age of microphone and speakers). [33] Traditionally, before the advent of electricity, this special large lamp provided light during the night. [28][33][note 2] Typically, all roles are played by male actor-dancers, though in modern performances, women have been welcomed into the Kathakali tradition. Kathakalī is structured around plays called Attakatha (literally, "enacted story" ), written in Sanskritized Malayalam. Thus Kathakali literally means 'Story-Play'. Kathakali is 300 year old classical dance form of Kerala which includes music, vocal performers, hand and facial gestures to express ideas, and footwork. However it can be distinguished from the others through the intricate and vivid make-up, unique face masks and costumes worn by dancers as also from their style and movements that reflect the age-old martial arts and athletic conventions prevalent in Kerala and surrounding regions. They use rice flour for white colour, red made from Vermilion, black from soot. Which state which dance famous? Kathakali originated in Kerala only in 17 century and is still practiced … This dance style essentially entails use of makeup, face masks, and heavy costumes. Author Phillip Zarrilli mentions that the basic components and distinct features of this form of classical dance can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit Hindu text called ‘Natya Shastra’, a text on the performing arts written by the sage Bharata Muni, an Indian theatrologist and musicologist. It is broadly considered that ‘Ramanattam’ that developed under the auspices of Thampuran was the genesis of ‘Kathakali’ and that Thampuran refined the former to give shape to ‘Kathakali’ which has over the centuries emerged as a famous classical dance of Kerala. It is a mixture of dance, music, and acting. Kathakali is traditionally performed by boys and men, even for female roles. [23], Krishnanattam is the likely immediate precursor of Kathakalī, states Zarrilli. they both are different from each other. [69] Artist families tended to pick promising talent from within their own extended families, sometimes from outside the family, and the new budding artist typically stayed with his guru as a student and treated like a member of the family. [26][27][28] The south Indian martial art of Kalarippayattu has also influenced Kathakali. This mesmerizing dance performance is like a play that tells you the story from the past mainly from Indian epics. [44] There are three Guṇas, according to this philosophy, that have always been and continue to be present in all things and beings in the world. Another famed ‘Kathakali’ actor Kottakkal Sivaraman, who portrays feminine characters emotes different nayika bhavas such as lasya nayika and vasakasajjika with great élan. The latter is the poetic metre written in third person elucidating the action portions through choreography. [79][80], Kabuki, another Japanese art form, has similarities to Kathakali. However, others such as the Prahlada Charitham have been composed so that they can be performed within four hours. [18], The roots of Kathakalī are unclear. The seven types of basic makeup’s are used in the dance form Pazhuppu (ripe), Kari, Thaadi, Teppu, Minukku, Kathi(knife) or Pachcha (green). Some characters have a green face (representing heroic or excellence as a warrior) with red dots or lines on their cheeks or red-coloured moustache or red-streaked beard (representing evil inner nature), while others have a full face and beard coloured red, the latter implying excessively evil characters. Kalamandalam Gopi, a renowned name in ‘Kathakali’ with a career of over 30 years, is one of the most eminent representatives of the Kalluvazhi School of Kerala. During the action, voices … Apart from such themes, the modern day ‘Kathalaki’ troupes of India have also adapted themes based on legends on Christianity as also Western plays and stories of renowned authors like William Shakespeare. It is the dance drama from the south Indian state of Kerala. Copyright © CulturalIndia.net   All Rights Reserved. Kathakali, one of the main forms of classical dance-drama of India, other major ones being bharata natyam, kathak, manipuri, kuchipudi, and odissi. They are Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, and Odissi. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers. Kathakali is considered to be one among the seven officially recognized (by the Ministry of Culture and The Sangeet Natak Academy,India) classical Indian dance forms. [33], The stage is mostly bare, or with a few drama-related items. Kathak is an ancient performance art that emerged in North India, with roots in traveling bards retelling mythical and spiritual stories through dance-acting. This age-old performance art traditionally starts at dusk and performed through dawn with breaks and interludes and sometimes for several nights starting at dusk. [28] Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is long, starting at dusk and continuing through dawn, with interludes and breaks for the performers and audience. Kathakalī emerged as a distinct genre of performance art during the 16th and 17th centuries in a coastal population of south India that spoke Malayalam (now Kerala). [38] These vary with the styles and the predominant colours made from rice paste and vegetable colors that are applied on the face. [52] The "tease" method is typically used for characters with hidden, dangerous intentions. The stage with seating typically in open grounds outside a temple, but in some places, special theatres called Kuttampalam built inside the temple compounds have been in use. However, Kathakali differs in that it also incorporates movements from ancient Indian martial arts and athletic traditions of South India. In olden times, the dance performance included prayer and was used to tell stories of Gods or traditional folk tales. The colour code for women and monks is yellow. [6] In modern compositions, Indian Kathakali troupes have included women artists,[4] as well as adapted Western stories and plays such as those by Shakespeare. [28] One item, called a Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp), can be traced back to Kutiyattam. Kathakali Dance of Kerala. The Shlokas are in Sanskrit and describe the action in the scene, while Padams are dialogues in Malayalam (Sanskritized) for the actors to interpret and play. While the former is pure dance that concentrates on hand movements and gestures, the latter is solo expressive dance that showcases brilliance of expressions. India has many dances, coming from every state in the country. Kathakali is a perfect combination of dance, drama, music and religious theme. The makeup men apply different colours on the face of the dancer as a mask. [3][30] The Pada part contains the dialogue part. kathak (the story tellers) is classical dance originated in north India, uttar pradesh. [54], Music is central to a Kathakali performance. [3], Several ancient Sanskrit texts such as Natya Shastra and Hastha Lakshanadeepika discuss hand gestures or mudras. The Kathakali dance is around 400 years old but its actual roots are traced to around 1500 years earlier. [36][37] Costumes have made Kathakali's popularity extend beyond adults, with children absorbed by the colors, makeup, light and sound of the performance. ‘Kathakali’ incorporates the most intricate make-up code, costume, face masks, head dress and brightly painted faces among all Indian classical dance forms. Views and opinions regarding the roots of ‘Kathakali’ vary due to its somewhat ambiguous background. Kathakali is the traditional dance drama of Kerala. Natalia Lidova, a Russian scholar mentions that the text throws light upon different theories of Indian classical dances that includes theories of Tandava dance, standing postures, basic steps, bhava, rasa, methods of acting and gestures. [65], The Kalluvazhi style is second of the two, which developed in Palakkad (Olappamanna Mana) in central Kerala,[66] and it is a synthesis of the older Kaplingadan and Kalladikkotan performance arts. Kathakali is based and originated in the Indian state which has been called Kerala today, while Kathak is based in Northern India, the origin of this dance form is now called as Utter Pradesh. This “Drama” centric dance form was developed in the state of Kerala, commonly referred to as “God’s own land”. As the play progressed, the actor-dancers would gather around this lamp so that the audience could see what they are expressing. 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