Course Name – Drama and art in education (2nd

Transcript:Course Name – Drama and art in education (2nd:
Course Name – Drama and art in education (2nd Semester) Course code 1.2.EPC2 Title : Kathakali Dance (The art of dance) (Unit-3) By Shiuli Mahapatra . INTRODUCTION KATHAKALI , a form of ritual drama originated in Kerala. Evolving from earlier forms of dance drama such as KODIYATTAM,KRISHNATTAM,RAMANATTAM. It was performed in palaces and temples and at religious festivals. KATHAKALI draws its subject matter from the Hindu epics chronicling the lives , loves and conflicts of the Gods and heroes of indian mythology like Ramayana , Mahabharata , Puran. The Name “KATHAKALI” derives from Malayalam words “Katha” which means story and “Kali” which means play. ETYMOLOGY ELEMENTS KATHAKALI is consideres to be a combination of five art forms like - 1.Natyam (Acting) 2.Nritham(Dance) 3.Nrithyam (Enactment) 4.Sangeetham (Music) 5.Vadyam (Instrument accompaniment) A traditional Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends early in the morning. Kathakali is usually performed in front of a kalivilakku (“kali”= dance; “vilakku”= lamp), which provided light when the plays were performed inside temples, residences of nobles, and palaces. A Kathakali performance scheduled to begin at 10:00 pm will be announced in a special manner by the loud playing of chenda, maddalam (percussion), elathalam and chengila (metallic cymbals) during the evening, so that they can be heard even at a distance. This instrumental music, called kelikottu, is very familiar to lovers of Kathakali. PERFORMANCE ACTING A Kathakali actor needs immense powers of concentration, skill, and physical stamina, gained through training based on Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala. Training begins around the age of ten, and often lasts for eight to ten years. The training program is intensive; each day begins at 3:30 am and ends at 8:30 pm, with short breaks in between. During the monsoon and winter there are rigorous body massage sessions. Each student learns the complete language of Kathakali, memorizing the combinations of facial expressions (rasas), bodily movements and hand gestures (mudras). Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements. MAKE UP & COSTUMES There are five main types of characters, usually identified by the predominant color of makeup applied to the face or its pattern: pacha kathi thadi kari minukku PACHA In Kathakali, the pacha vesham with its predominant green colour is used to portray noble male characters like kings and divine beings. These characters have a mix of satvic (pious) and rajsik (kingly) nature. Characters