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Kathakali Performance Kathakali has a unique combination of literature, music, painting, acting and dance. In the following pages we have placed photographs and videos of Kathakali performances and songs by famous Kathakali singers Kathakali ranks high among the Indian dance forms, since it is a dramatic performance in which, the actors do not speak or sing, but interpret their emotions through highly sensitive medium by its vivid and persuasive mudras, natural and impressive gestures, graceful and rhythmic movements, pleasing choreography and above all delightful wealth of imagery. It is not realistic art but belongs to the imaginative type spoken of in Bharata`s Natya Shastra. Kathakali is predominantly a male art and the dancing is mostly of the masculine type. Kathakali is a very popular dance form with tourists visiting Kerala. It is actually a dance drama performed by mostly male artist. The actors convey the message of the story through very expressive facial movements and mudras (hand gestures). The background singers provide the dialogue. The face of the kathakali artist is colorfully painted to suit the role. The painted face is often mistaken for a mask. Kerala Kalamandalam situated near Thrissur is a major kathakali training centre. There are many kathakali centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The painting of the kathakali face can be seen at most centers if you can visit the centre at least one hour before the performance. Costumes: The headgear worn by the various characters in kathakali are excellent specimen of intricate wood carving, an ancient specialty of the region. Even the shiny finishing with trinkets takes hours of painstaking labor by expert craftsmen. Most of the ornaments donning each character are made in this fashion too. Make-up: The make-up, called chutty in the bibliography of kathakali, is also an art form in itself. The colourful faces are the result of hours of painstaking handiwork by expert artists. The basic materials used for the make up are very crude items like raw amorphous sulphur, indigo, rice paste, lime, coconut oil etc. Music: One of the major distinguishing features of kathakali is the absence of oral communication. A considerable part of the script is in the form of lyrics, sung by vocalists. The only accompaniments are percussion instruments: chenda (drum played with sticks) maddalam (drum played with fingers), chengila (gong) and ilathalam (cymbals). The style of music traditionally accepted is Sopana where the range is limited to one and half octaves. However, the influence of Karnataka style of classical music has proven irresistible, and the singers often take liberty with the style. It is not unusual that a kathakali performance take the form of a jugalbandi (duet) of singing and acting. Drumming, especially of chenda, is the salient feature of kathakali. Formerly considered an 'Asura Vadyam' meaning one that cannot go in harmony, chena has become the most important feature. Artists are capable of producing a range of sounds varying from the gentle rattle of dry leaves in a breeze to reverberating thunder on chenda. Dance: Although dance is an important element in kathakali, it is not the main feature. Pure dance sequences are limited to kalasams, which punctuate acting segments. Female characters spontaneously breaking into 'Sari' and 'Kummi' dances can be seen in few dramas. The accent in kathakali is more on the thandava style of dancing than on lasya style. Hence the movements are often explosive. Delicate movements are rare. The communication among the characters and to the audience is through an intricate language of hand gestures, used in combination with facial expressions and body movements. kathakali follows the language of mudras, as described in 'Hasthalakshana Deepika'.