INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE KATHAKALLI 

Dance is a performing art form consisting of selected sequences of human movement. We can also express express our feeling through dance. Dance is of various forms. One among them is kathakali. Kathakali is one of the major forms of classical Indian dance. Kathakali is developed as Hindhu performance art in the malayalam speaking southwestern region of India. Kathakali is popular in kerela.

    Kathakali is originated around the 17th century, but its root are in the temple and fork arts. Kathakali  performance is full of facial gestures which is to express ideas. Kathakali is derived from katha which means story and kali which means performance and art which is known as kathakali.

     According to Phillip Zarilli Natya  Shastra consist of 6000 verses. The text states Natalia Lidova which describes the theory of tandava dance the theory of rasa, bhava, expression, gestures, standing prostures etc. These are all part of kathakali dance. Kathakali is 500 years old. Kathakali emerged as  a distinct  genre of performance art during the 16th and 17th century in Kerela. There are 24 main mudras and numerous more minor one is kathakali. There are nine main facial expressions in kathakali and they are called as navarasas. The actor will be expressing his emotions through this navarasas.

                       

Music is central to a kathakali performance. It sets the mood and triggers emotion resonant with the nature of scene. There are many musical patterns in kathakali. Some of them are: Cempata, Campa music, Pancari, Triputa, Muri atanta. Kathakali is considered as a combination of five elements they are: Natyam

                 Nrithyam

               Nritham

                     Sangeetham

           Chutti

MADALAM

CHENDA

IDAKA

There are many musical instruments in kathakali. the main three major drums are maddalam, chenda, idakka. Kathakalli has lineages in dance performance called sampradayam. These developed  in the part of system called Gurukal. By the 19th century two style have been developed in the mordern age. They are Kidanoor style and Kalluvayi style. Kidanoor style is developed in travancore. Kalluvayi style is developed in pallakad in the central of kerela. Kthakali is hugely male dominated but in the year 1970s women had also made an entry in the art.