Kathakali - Fine Art Elements
Kathakali
is an ancient and traditional dance form of Kerala. The word Kathakali
literally means "Story-Play". Kathakali uses elaborate make-ups, costumes
and background. Kathakali was originated in the 17th century and has its roots
in Hindu mythology. Kathakali has a unique combination of literature, music,
painting, acting and dance. Kathakali is based on religious themes. They play
is mostly based on the two epics 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata'.
Elements of Fine Art
Kathakali
is a combination of five forms of fine art like
:
1. Natyam (Acting or Expressions)
2. Nritham (Dance)
3. Nrithyam (Enactment)
4. Sangeetham (Music)
5. Vadyam (Instrument accompaniment)
Even
though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element
called "Sahithyam", it is considered as a component of Geetha, as it
plays only a supplementary role to Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam.
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
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Costume
The costume is the most distinctive characteristic
of Kathakali. The makeup is very elaborate and the costumes
are very large and heavy.
There are several kinds of costume.
There are: Sathwika (the hero), Kathi (the
villain), Minukku (females), and Thatti.
These basic divisions are further subdivided in a way which is very well
known to Malayali (Keralite) audiences. Each
character is instantly recognisable by their characteristic makeup and
costume.
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The
makeup is very elaborate. It is so elaborate that it is more like a mask
than makeup in the usual sense. The materials that comprise the makeup is
all locally available. The white is made from rice flour, the red is made
from Vermilion (a red earth such as cinnabar). The black is made from
soot. The colours are not merely decoration, but are also a means of
portraying characters. For instance, red on the feet is used to symbolise
evil character and evil intent.
Kathakali Plays
There
are about 101 Kathakali stories. The stories were composed for the whole night in
the old times. But due to the increasing demand for the concised versions, now
the plays are composed for 2-4 hours instead of the whole night. It is good for
one who watches Kathakali to have an idea of the story being played. Success or
failure of amateur Kathakali artistes is often decided by their sensibility to
successfully personalize characters.
Important
stories enacted in Kathakali are 'Nala Charitham' (Story from Mahabharatham
about King Nala and his wife Damayanthi), 'Duryodhana Vadham' (Another story
from Mahabharata about the killing of Duryodhana by the Pandava brother Bhima
in Kurukshetra), 'Kalyanasowgandhikam' (Bheema's encounter with Hanuman when
the former set out in search for the flower Kalyanasaugandhikam for his wife
Draupadi), 'Keechaka Vadham'(Story of the killing of Keechaka by Bhima when the
Panadavas were in disguise), 'Kiratham' (Story of Arjuna and Lord Shiva's
fight), and 'Karna Shapadham' (story of Karna from Mahabharata).
Music
The
music of Kathakali has some similarity to the larger body of
South Indian classical music (Carnatic sangeet); however the instrumentation is
decidedly different. Its local colour is strongly achieved by the use of
instruments such as chenda, idakka, and shuddha
madalam.
Conclusion
Is Kathakali classical?
If we look at our benchmarks to see if it is classical, it only scores
modestly. It is definitely old, but this is one of the least important of
the criteria. It is not necessarily something that upper classes use to
define their identity, indeed the opposite is probably true. Its most
glaring deficiency is seen in its inability to transcend its attachments to the
Keralite community. The average Indian (non-Malayali) has only a
vague knowledge that it exists, and will live their entire life without ever
even seeing a Kathakali performance. Therefore from a
sociological standpoint it is probably more correct to call Kathakali "traditional"
instead of classical.
Musical
Instruments Used To Accompany Kathakali.
`Shuddha
madalam,
Chenda,
Manjira,
Idakka
you have covered almost everything related to Kathakali dance. I really appreciate your blog. I like Kathakali dance very much. Your blog enhanced my knowledge regarding this dance. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
I love reading about indian culture! its so bright and vibrant and oh man the stories! i am a christian who is interested in indian culture
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