What is kathakali theater?
Kathakali theater literally means 'dance story', for "Katha" means "story" and "Kali" means "dance".
It's a practice that combines both dance and drama, and with the costumes and makeup, it becomes a practice that appears almost larger than life. It is often referred to as Total Theater, since it combines the 5 elements:
- sahithyam (literature)
- sangeetham (music)
- chithram (painting)
- natyam (acting)
- nritham (dance)
Kathakali is a very visual art, for there are no verbal dialogues between characters - performers are essentially mimes communicating through gestures and mudras.
There is therefore a huge emphasis on movement in Kathakali; particularly on the hands, feet and face. The muscles of the actor are stretched to their limits, covering space in geometrical patterns, the dancers often add leaps and jumps to the performance as well.
The actors move around in the "mandala sthana" position, in which the dancer stands with both feet apart, the knees turned out and the outer soles of the feet touching the ground. The feet, hands and eyes trace the contours of imaginary shapes. There's also an unusual amount of focus on the face of the actor in Kathakali compared to many other theater traditions.
The mudras:
recommended:
Kathakali - a complete introduction with Tadg O'Keeffe (youtube video) - it's a great general introduction to the art of Kathakali, particularly focusing on how it's surviving today in Karala, the state where it originated. It's passed on from master to student, starting at the young age of four or five - there's over 110 stories to learn after all, mostly taken from the hindu poems - they're very black and white, with good and the bad. It takes 2 to 3 hours to prepare for a singly performance, it's something worth looking into in further detail. I mean, even the costumes have particular meanings down to the colors! These traditionally all night performances in Hindu temples sound fascinating, although a little long, particularly if you can't read the mudras :p
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| http://inextlive.jagran.com/classical-dance-a-treat-for-your-muscles-201104280019 |
Kathakali theater literally means 'dance story', for "Katha" means "story" and "Kali" means "dance".
It's a practice that combines both dance and drama, and with the costumes and makeup, it becomes a practice that appears almost larger than life. It is often referred to as Total Theater, since it combines the 5 elements:
- sahithyam (literature)
- sangeetham (music)
- chithram (painting)
- natyam (acting)
- nritham (dance)
Kathakali is a very visual art, for there are no verbal dialogues between characters - performers are essentially mimes communicating through gestures and mudras.
There is therefore a huge emphasis on movement in Kathakali; particularly on the hands, feet and face. The muscles of the actor are stretched to their limits, covering space in geometrical patterns, the dancers often add leaps and jumps to the performance as well.
The actors move around in the "mandala sthana" position, in which the dancer stands with both feet apart, the knees turned out and the outer soles of the feet touching the ground. The feet, hands and eyes trace the contours of imaginary shapes. There's also an unusual amount of focus on the face of the actor in Kathakali compared to many other theater traditions.
The mudras:
 |
| http://www.indianetzone.com/43/hasta_mudras_kathakali.htm |
Kathakali - a complete introduction with Tadg O'Keeffe (youtube video) - it's a great general introduction to the art of Kathakali, particularly focusing on how it's surviving today in Karala, the state where it originated. It's passed on from master to student, starting at the young age of four or five - there's over 110 stories to learn after all, mostly taken from the hindu poems - they're very black and white, with good and the bad. It takes 2 to 3 hours to prepare for a singly performance, it's something worth looking into in further detail. I mean, even the costumes have particular meanings down to the colors! These traditionally all night performances in Hindu temples sound fascinating, although a little long, particularly if you can't read the mudras :p
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