Kathakali

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Kathakali dancers as noble pachcha

Kathakali ( malayalam : കഥകളി; katha stands for story , kali for performance or drama ) is an expressive form of Indian dance or dance drama that is mainly cultivated in the southern Indian state of Kerala .

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Kathakali is considered to be one of the oldest dance forms. It's a spectacular mix of drama , dance , music and ritual . Characters with vivid painted faces and elaborate costumes to tell stories from the Hindu - epics Mahabharata and Ramayana .

Kathakali is a harmonious combination of five areas of art :

Staging and story

A Kathakali performance is usually accompanied by music only with drums. Here the cylinder drum chenda

Neither the presentation nor the content of Kathakali performances are particularly naturalistic; almost exclusively demons or gods from Hindu mythology are depicted, and facial expressions and gestures are artificially exaggerated and limited to a certain number of forms of expression (e.g. courageous, angry, charming, jealous). It is typical for Kathakali that all roles, including the female ones, are played by male actors.

The performers play and dance in pantomime , apart from the occasional yelling or shouting, while the action is sung by one or two musicians who stay in the background. Facial expressions, gestures and choreography require a high level of discipline. The training of Kathakali dancers typically begins in childhood and lasts up to 10 years.

The performance is always accompanied by two or more musicians who beat drums to match the dance , usually the vertical cylinder drum chenda , the horizontal barrel drum madhalam and the hourglass-shaped idakka . In addition, singers perform adaptations partly in Sanskrit, partly in Malayalam, from the Indian folk epics Mahabharata and Ramayana .

Although Kathakali shows influences from classical Sanskrit theater, from religious ritual theaters such as Teyyam , Mutiyettu and Ayyappan tiyatta as well as from Kutiyattam , it did not emerge as an independent form of theater until the 17th century.

Masking

Close-up of the elaborately designed mask of a Kathi
Female roles, like a minukku here , are traditionally portrayed by men, but women are increasingly being recognized in Kathakali.

The actors' masks are of great importance: the choice of color and pattern determines the character to be represented. Applying make-up and costuming the actors often takes several hours. The main characters in Kathakali are:

  • Pachcha : have bright green make-up and represent positive characters, noble heroes or important deities.
  • Kathi : are evil and cunning characters who are often of aristocratic origin, as their equally green make-up suggests, but have a negative connotation, which can be recognized by their upturned mustaches and white bumps on their noses.
  • Chuvanna Thaadi : are power-hungry and mean and have black faces and blood-red beards
  • Kari : are ogres and witches, represent the most dangerous and cunning characters, and have black faces and huge breasts.
  • Minukku : are noble characters, women and wise men. They have pale yellow faces and wear saris (women) or orange dhotis (men).

Kathakali today

Kathakali, while strictly traditional, is a living art form and is very popular in Kerala. There are numerous Kathakali schools in larger Kerala cities like Kochi . At Kalamandalam Deemed University north of Thrissur, professional dancers and musicians are trained for Kathakali, among others. Performances are often offered in many places, especially as part of festivals and celebrations of all kinds, occasionally also for tourists. Typical performances also take place as part of temple festivals, often starting in the evening and often going into the early morning. The highlight is then to witness the killing of the evil character or a demon at dawn.

Tourist productions are usually much shorter and contain an explanation of the scenes shown.

Well-known Kathakali performers

literature

  • Alice Boner : Kathakali. In: Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art . June 1935, pp. 61-74
  • Philip Zarrilly: Kathakali Complex: Actor, Performance and Structure. Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 2003, ISBN 978-8170171874

Web links

Commons : Kathakali  - collection of images, videos and audio files