Kathakali Dance Form

Kathakali Dance Form:-

 Kathakali is the most well known dance drama from the south In­dian state of Kerala.  The word Kathakali literally means "Story-Play".  It is known for its large, elaborate makeup and costumes.  The elaborate costumes of Kathakali have become the most re­cog­nised icon for Kerala.

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.

A Kathakali performance is a major social event.  They generally start at dusk and go through out the night.  Kathakali is usually performed only by men.  Female cha­rac­ters are portrayed by men dressed in women's costume.  However, in recent years, women have started to become Kathakali dan­cers.

Kathakali has a long tradition.  It dates back to the 17th century.  It was given its pres­ent form by Mahakavi Vallathol Narayan Menon, who was the founder of the Kerala Kala Mandalam.

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.

Kathakali  is a major form of classical Indian dance.It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colorful make-up, costumes and face masks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear. Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of Kerala.

Kathakalī's roots are unclear. The fully developed style of Kathakalī originated around the 17th century, but its roots are in the temple and folk arts (such as krishnanattam and religious drama of the southwestern Indian peninsula), which are traceable to at least the 1st millennium CE.A Kathakali performance, like all classical dance arts of India, synthesizes music, vocal performers, choreography and hand and facial gestures together to express ideas. However, Kathakali differs in that it also incorporates movements from ancient Indian martial arts and athletic traditions of South India. Kathakalī also differs in that the structure and details of its art form developed in the courts and theatres of Hindu principalities, unlike other classical Indian dances which primarily developed in Hindu temples and monastic schools.

The traditional themes of the Kathakalī are folk mythologies, religious legends and spiritual ideas from the Hindu epics and the Puranas. The vocal performance has traditionally been performed in Sanskritised Malayalam. In modern compositions, Indian Kathakali troupes have included women artists, as well as adapted Western stories and plays such as those by Shakespeare

The term Kathakalī is derived from Katha (Sanskrit: "कथा") which means "story or a conversation, or a traditional tale", and Kalī (from Kalā, "कला") which means "performance and art". The dance symbolises the eternal fight between good and evil