Kathakali Essay

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Kathakali According to Ettumanoor Parameswaran Kannan, a traditional Kathakali performer, in Sanskrit katha means story and kali means performance (Uyehara). Thus the form is literally the performance of a story, or according to Eugenio Barba, “acting out stories” (Barba 1967:37). Kannan is also clear in stating that, although most Western scholars consider Kathakali as a dance-drama, it is in reality a theatre form in which dance is used effectively. Kathakali is a group performance, and the dancers take the roles of characters in Hindu mythology, especially the epic pieces, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as the Puranas. (Barba 1967:37). History of the form According to the Grahya Stutirgathaih, the Kali chronogram, Krishna appeared in Kalikut in 1657, met a high priest there and gave him a peacock feather. This appearance of the god was celebrated by the creation of a religious dance-drama which praised Krishna, called the Krishnattam. The ruler of a neighbouring state, Kottakara, asked to have a troupe of the Krishnattam, as the performance had become very famous, but due to political tension his request was declined. This angered the ruler, and he prayed to the gods to give him vengeance against Kalikut. His prayers were answered when the gods appeared to him in a dream and taught him a new form of dance-drama – the Kathakali. (Barba 1967:37) Historically, Kathakali originated during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in Kerala, on the south-western coast of India (Zarilli 2000:3) and was patronized by the ruling or landholding families. By the end of the eighteenth century, the foundations of Kathakali had been laid and most of the distinctive performance techniques and conventions had evolved. (Zarilli 2000:3) Aesthetics of the form in connection to the texts, performance conventions and the use of the body •

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