Kathakali: the Confluence of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Art
Kathakali, the consummate confluence of dance, music, theatre and visual art, is one of Kerala’s prime cultural contributions to the world. The word Kathakali is a combination of two words: ‘Katha’ meaning story and ‘Kali’ meaning dance. Over the years, Kathakali has evolved into an intricate and highly stylized classical dance-drama form complete with elaborate make-up, luxuriant costumes, detailed hand gestures and body movements, performed with traditional percussion in the background. The striking green countenance of Kathakali has come to symbolize the global face of Kerala.
The origin of Kathakali dates back to the 16th century A.D to two precursor dance-drama forms ‘Ramanattam’ and ‘Krishnanattam’. Kathakali has derived a major share of its techniques from these two art forms besides other ritualistic and traditional art forms like ‘Koodiyattom’, ‘Ashtapadiyattom’ and to a lesser extent, folk arts like ‘Porattunatakam’. ‘Kalaripayattu’, the martial art of Kerala has had a significant influence on the body language of Kathakali. Along its evolutionary course down the centuries, many of the rituals and practices unique to these and many other traditional art forms have become integral to Kathakali as we know it today.
Tags: classical elements, elements of fine arts, global appeal, great epics, hand gestures, king lear, ramayana and mahabharata, traditional percussion, vocal accompaniment, western classicsRelated posts
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