India Dance : Kathakali

Kathakali is the most refined, the most scientific and elaborately defined dance form ofKerala. As it is obtained today it is not more than 300 years old, but its roots can be traced backfarther past.

It is a very exciting art form demanding not only complete control of practically every fibre of the artiste's body, but also intense sensitivity of emotion. The stories for attakathas (the verse text for a kathakali piece) are selected from epics and mythologies and are written in a highly sanskritised verse form in Malayalam.

The actor does not speak, but expresses himself through highly complicated and scientifically ordained mudras and steps, closely following the text being sung from the background of the stage.

The domain of kathakali is peopled by superhumans, gods and demons, and animals whoarepresented in a larger than life format. Whatstrikes the spectator first and most is the splendour of the costumes, ornaments, and facial make-up which transform the actordancer into a type rather than a particular character. A character can be identified by the colour he sports. A green-painted face stands for nobility, honour, valour and such higher qualities.

Mythological heroes like the Pandavas. King Nala and divine personages like Krishna and Indra wear this makeup. In characters who wear the katti make -up , the green on the face is broken by a red patch resembling an up ward twirling mouslache.

This make-up is symbolic of high-born anti heroes, who are demonic, bill wortliy Iocs lo the heroes. Examples are characters like Uliryoclhana.Ravan and so on.

Another character classificaion called tadi(beard) includes wearers of (red, while and black boards- red worn by vicious and savage villains like Dussasana, Bakasura arid so on white by the pious giant monkey Hanuman. and black worn by aboriginal hunters and forest dwellers.

I he category called Kari (black) has characlers whose' laces are painted in iamp black, nioslly ogresses like Shurpanakha and Hidimba. In coinplele contrast is minukku in which the lace is painted in delicate flesh tones with yellow and red powder, they are the noblewomen, queens, princesses, mostly heroines like Damayanti, Sita and others.

The vocabulary lor the performer is only htrsrumudras (stylised hand gestures), facial, gestures and nrUta. Together wilh lhe exotic quality of the spec lac ie and lhe intricate abhinaya system and the rhetorical text rendered in classical Style lo the accompaniment of di'u ms.akathakali performance transports a spectator to an unwordly atmosphere peopled by gods, demons and other superhumans. It lakes years for a novice to graduale intotill actor. Seven years of full time practice under a nieliculous leacher is the minimum (ailed lor. Bill lo make an accomplished actor able to portray versatility, it takes many more.

Kathakali had its origins in the courts of the kings of Kerala. U is i onsitlered lo he a highly synthetic an lorni. combining in itself the rudiments of its earlier forms like krishnanattam and ramanattam plus a highly classical, though not very old.

Most of the attakathas were written in the last century, but new attakathas are also appearing, though the standards are still kept undisturbed. There is plenty of innovation going on, yet all within the framework of the basic format. One of the noteworthy innovations was rendering Goethe's German classic Faust into an attakatha.

Poet Vallathol can be said to be the fountainhe-ad of all inspiration in regard to today's kathakali. He authored many a script. Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy on the bank of Bharata - puzha is the premier insitution in this regard.