Dance of the God’s Own Country-Kathakali??

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When we talk about Kerala, we imagine the fresh air, serene atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and breathtaking natural views. Kerala has got a rich and divine heritage and culture that makes it unique from all other states. Its beautiful lakes, forests, and vegetation attract tourists from all over the world. ?

Kathakali is an Indian classical dance that originated in the state of Kerala. It has gained popularity throughout the globe because of its charm and magnificent art. It originated around 300 years ago. It is a blend of devotion, drama, dance, music customs, and make-up, which gives a divine experience to the audience. ?

Kathakali is a dance form in which usually the famous and important stories of the past especially from Indian epics are presented in the form of dance. It leaves one spellbound at the various intricacies involved in the performance. Every single quiver of the lips, the flicker of the eyes, or a movement involving the fingers twirling, has great significance. The entire performance sees the audience unable to take their eyes away from the spectacle taking place on stage. ?

The main and very important part of the Kathakali dance is its distinctive costume and charismatic face paint. They use decorative costumes and the face is painted in vibrant shades. The face paint is called Vesham and it is of five types. The Green face paint is done for noble characters. Kathi or knife is meant for villainous characters, the Whitebeard is used for superhuman monkeys like Hanuman, the Red beard is used for evil characters, and the black beard is meant for hunters. Another type of face paint is Kari or black which is used for she-demons. Minukku Vesham is meant for female characters and savants. ?

Huge ornamental headgear and oversized jackets and a long skirt worn over a thick padding of cushions are used for the pomp and magnificence of Kathakali. The stylist’s sign language is used to depict an idea, a situation, or a state of being. The ideas of a Kathakali artist are enacted through mudras. To implement this a systematic sign language will be followed which is based on Hastalakshna Deepika a discourse on the language of hand gestures. ?

Kathakali’s orchestra consists of two varieties of drums- the Maddala and Chenda the Chengila which is a bell metal gong and the Ilathalam or cymbals. To learn the dance the students are given tough training including a lot of exercises for the different parts which are used for the performance. They will be given training for proper expressions and movements of eyes, lips, cheeks, mouth, and neck. ?

It’s a very good source of entertainment for the people who are dance lovers. In Kathakali the dancers have to have movement of eyebrows and eyeballs including many facial expressions. It relaxes facial muscles and leg extensions. It is really helpful for children suffering from autism, who tend to have difficulty in making contact with others. ?

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