THE TRAINING of KATHAKALI

THE TRAINING: KATHAKALI

The training of a Kathakali actor begins at an early age when young boys leavetheir homes to dedicate the entire lives to Kathakali.The rigorous training necessary for a Kathakali actor begins at 4.00am with eye and facial exercises followed with body exercises and the learning of the Kathakali plays.

In the monsoon season the actors undergo a daily painful session, whichinvolves body exercises followed by a special oil massage, called Uzichil. This makes the actor supple and physically prepared for the characters that he will eventually have to portray on stage.

There is a saying that summaries the Kathakali acting technique….

"Where the hands move, there the eyes follow,Where the eyes move the mind follows.Where the mind goods, the mood follows where the mood goes, there the Rasa [flavour] arises."

DRUMMERS, SINGERS, MAKE UP ARTISTS AND COSTUMERS all undergo years of specialised training guided by a Guru – Ashan. Eventually they will perform as a complex team of experts each bringing their own specialist contribution to the performance.

THE CHARACTERS: KATHAKALI

THE CHARACTERS: KATHAKALI

The characters are categorised into symbolic "personalities" ranging from the most

sanctified [Gods] to the most evil.

The characters represent the evolution of humanity and the sensitive relationship between

the individual, spirituality and society.

Situations are acted out where desperation and cruelty give way to truth and compassion. The

plays communicate on a deep and personal level intended to offer an example of how to

survive when enormous hardship is faced.

KATHAKALI CHARACTER TYPES are easily identified by specific make up, costumes and body language.

Two different characters belonging to the same category may "appear" visually the same, even

though performing in two separate plays. However, the story, slight changes in the make up

or costume will indicate the exact character on stage.


CHARACTERS

Pacha Katti
(Pure- Green face) Represents good, divinity, The gods and heroic Characters.
E.g: Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Arjuna, Bhima and King Nala.

Kati
(Knife) - They are heroic but have lust, arrogance, a desire for power and cruelty.
Eg: Kichaka, Ravana, Duryodhana .

Red Beard
Cruel, evil, distructive, arrogant and a killer. E.g: Baka, Jarasandan,
Veerabhadra.

Kali
symbolises anger, cruelty and evil. Similar to Red Beard but a different
combination of colours.

Black Beard:
Black Berad - Represents Humour, violence. Primitive life E.g A forest dweller.

Kari: An evil Demoness

White Beard:
Hannuman - the devoted Monkey God.

Female( Minikku) Minikku: Soft and natural make up for the female character, Humans, Brahmins,Sages, Messengers, Narada Radiant and Priests.

Hamsam: The Golden Swan and Garuda both have special make up.

Lord Krishna or Lord Rama

BACKGROUND OF KATHAKALI

BACKGROUND OF KATHAKALI

Kathakali is ancient and classical in nature and holds centuries of tradition and culture. It is not simply a dance-drama but an act of devotion featuring the universal struggle between good and evil.


Kathakali takes place in a variety of places from a beautifully constructed Kootambalam – story temple – or in a simple temporary canopy made from coconut leaves covering a platform made of earth in a village temple or a garden. The dressing room would be close to the stage with the walls made from coconut leaves also.


The actual Kathakali performance usually starts between 9 and 10 pm with Arrangu Keli - a drumming piece played on the Madalam drum to ask the Gods for their blessings and to invite them to watch the performance. [To perform Kathakali is a great honour and performed to the Gods as an act of devotion.]


A large brass oil lamp called a Valika, is placed at the front of the stage. Lighting the lamp is highly symbolic act and when lit, it illustrates that there is divine prescence.


Todayam– is a dance ritual that is performed behind a large brightly coloured satin curtain held up by two men at the front of the stage and called a Tereshiela. Two junior actors perform a composition of pure dance accompanied by the SUDDHA MADALAM drum- solo Madalam.


Todayam is the first item to be learned by a young Kathakali student to test his ability to balance, keep classical positions, maitain rhythm, use Mudras and understand facial expressions.

The Vandana slokam is a prayer and follows Todayam to bless the stage and to receive the Gods. The first actors make their way to the stage but before leaving the dressing room they will go to all the senior artists, touch their feet and ask for their blessings, pray to the Valika – lamp – situated in a corner of the green room and finally go onto the stage that is now a holy place.

The actors make their journey from this world into the world of the Gods with dignity and humility.


Purappad
- means starting point and represents the beginning of the Kathakali performance, traditionally performed by students to develop their skills. The actors represent the main characters of the story - Krishna or Balarama and is performed as a piece of pure dance, sometimes accompanied by the relevant female partners.


Melepadam- is a musical master piece where senior singers and drummers are given an opportunity to perform their outstanding skills.


The singers express dedication and appreciation to Jaya Deva who wrote the great poemsof the Geetha Govindam in the 11th century. Singing his poems creates a melody of exquisite beauty. People travel many miles to see the top artists perform Melepadam as a piece of vibrant music in its own right.


The Kathakali play- the actual Kathakali story starts when Melepadam finishes. The audience have been stimulated by powerful drumming, bathed in superb singing and inspired by rituals and ceremonies. The whole experience is in preparation for the full impact of a Kathakali play to descends on to the stage and depict stories from the great Hindu epics.


Normally two or three plays are performed throughout the night starting with a love story or one featuring every day life, saving the last story for an almighty battle when good conquers evil. Just before the sun rises in the cool early morning sky this victory symbolises a new beginning as the light blesses the earth.


The temples hold annual festivals where the community is encouraged to live with more compassion and care for each other.Throughout the night the audience and artists have engaged in a universal journey where goodness prevails over evil to illustrate the path to a better life.

Danasi
Danasi is a dance ritual performed as the sun rises by one of the good characters in the story, usually Lord Krishna or Lord Siva. He asks for blessings on the audience and gives salutation to the Gods for the night that they came to earth.


After the performance it is a social time for the artists where everyone winds down, takes a bath in the temple tank or river, eat breakfast and move onto the next temple performance. It is extremely hard work to perform throughout the night and results in a close family atmosphere within the Kathakali group.

Many years of quality training and experience is required to create a Kathakali artist. Each one is respected for the specialised skills that they bring to the stage to present one of the most moving and unforgettable experiences of all.

DRAMA
Kathakali is very different from other classical Indian – drama styles and performed as a group with a variety of characters. A Kathakali performer is known as an actor and not a dancer and a performance is called a play. Kathakali plays are about complex human relationships with each character representing a different symbolic level of consciousness from the Gods to the most evil.

The actor translates the story through stylised body language, gesture and deep emotion.

Source: kathakali.net

Performances of Kathakali

Performances of Kathakali

Kathakali performances are not confined to a temple's courtyard; they are held in the open under the sky. Before a performance begins, chendakkaaran the instrumental musician, beats the drum to announce the news that a dance -drama will be held shortly. This nervous and insistent tattoo' is called Ke'likottu. The village folk-men, women and children begin to assemble and crouches on the land in a circle around chendakkaaran. The night's 'stadium' has the covering of a clear, star-studded sky; cool breeze rustling through the jagged patterns of palm fronds, children wandering back and forth aimlessly or running to a hawker or pestering their mothers or aping a character of a previous play; people discussing a role-type, an actor, a character, a story or a matter of current or religious interest. And those among the audience who are tired from the day's hard work on their fields go back and sleep until they are awakened by a relative or a friend or by the noise from the stage, to witness the favorite hero play or a climatic battle scene.

In its indigenous form, Kathakali has no stage in the modern sense. The centre of the stadium is the stage provided with a huge brightly polished brass lamp of coconut oil. The audience sits in darkness.

There are no back-curtains, no stills, no sceneries. But behind the lamp there is a simply designed 'tirasila', a rectangular silk curtain, held by two members of the troupe. Actors who have to appear first stand hidden behind it. During scenes the curtain is dropped to the ground and removed by the two men. The job over, these men go about on other errands of the stage, like pouring oil in the lamp-well ,adjusting the thick wicks which constantly threaten to gutter and burn out, arranging the banana tree trunk support against the wicks gliding down in the well, and assisting the actors on odd jobs. The stage is also provided with a small stool. This is used for many purposes. For instance, in the 'curtain look' the actor stands on it; on other occasions an actor may rest on it.

Musicians stand in a half circle behind the actors. They number four to twelve. Musicians do not wear any special costume. They are normally bare-chested. The actors are profusely dressed mostly in billowing skirts, crowned with massive head-dresses and provided with the accessories of the face and finger nails. The 'actresses' are adolescent boys, for they are nearest to feminity and have simple dress.

In the repertoric of its technique Kathakali has seven items to be presented in the following sequence:
1. To'dayam- the basic nritt;
2. Purappaadu- debut of the hero and the virtuous character;
3. Tirano'kku- 'curtain look' by evil characters and demons;
4. Kummi- permeable for the female character's appearance
5. Kathakali- the main play
6. Kalaasham- a passage of vigorous dance which serves as a hyphen between two pieces of verse-play and
7. The concluding benediction dance

The dance drama begins with the call of the drum which has rent the air at night. The audience is alerted.

Tirasiila is drawn by two men. Music begins. Drummers display their cleverness. Religious songs are sung. They purify the atmosphere. And dancers are behind the curtain. The preliminary dance behind the curtain is commonly refused to as Purva-ranga by Bharata in the Naatya saastra, in the language of Kathakali it is called To'dayam. The basic technique of Kathakali lies in To'dayam.

Purappaadu or the debut, signifies the first appearance of a character on the stage. It is a piece of a preliminary dance. It serves to announce the virtuous qualities of the hero. If a demon is to appear violent drumming of high pitch drums is incessant. The curtain is drawn as high as the arms of the attendants can stretch. The whole atmosphere is surcharged with earth-shaking and hair raising activities. The sound of quick and heavy foot steps can be heard from behind the curtain. Its synchronisation with the sound effect of the drums heightens the climax. The entire climate forebodes that a terrific personality is about to appear. Suddenly a coloured canopy appears over the curtain and a rumbling growling noise is heard. Drums burst into shattering sounds. Here is a shrick, and there a groan. But before the eyes can catch the character, fingers are seen rising in the centre of the curtain. The left hand fingers are covered with long thimbles. The two hands are kept about three feet apart. They clutch the curtain. Fingers glide across its top.

There is deafening drumming; but no singing.
To the accompaniment of the drums, the anti-hero shakes the curtain violently, and breathless the audience catches an occasional glimpse of the top of a glittering head-dress, which seems to be gyrating madly in some internal whirlwind. He pulls the curtain towards him; then plugs forward and fans flames. With gusto, the fire illuminates the character's face and enables the audience to spot him out by his weird makeup.

The feverish pitch of excitement over, the curtain is dropped and the whole figure of the character emerges after a great deal of suspense. The curtain is pulled off the stage from its right wing. Thus develop tirano'kku or 'curtain look'.

For male anti-heroes Tirano'kku is prescribed and for female characters there is another standard dance called Kummi. In it gestures and movements are modified and smoothened to lend gentleness and elegance. so much necessary for feminine characters. Paces are slow; roles are passive and subsidiary.

Kalaasams are pure dance passages performed in pure taandava style. They punctuate two verses; two scenes. It is here that in Kathakali an important role of nritta is discovered.

From the sequence detailed Kathakali's basic characteristic of a dance-cum-drama is unfolded. How the various limbs of sangiitha have been synthesized to bring about an underlying unity of all Indian dramatic arts in Kathakali is unique. It is the only form of the histrionic arts in India, which adumbrates in principle, the three essentials of the Sanskrit drama, naatya, nritya and nritt.

Make-up of Kathakali

Make-up of Kathakali

The make-up of Kathakali character is peculiarily native to the Kerala folk-art. In folk theatrical varieties, huge marks and make-ups were as much prevalent during the historic span of time. Elaborate make- up heightens dramatic effects. Colour symbolism reflect certain categories of emotions and gunas. The green colour represents Saattvika reveals godliness, white represents spirituality. Red represents Rajasic reveals violence. Black represents Tamasic reveals evil. Yellow represents the combined character of Saatvika and Rajasic. Thus Kathakali characters are grouped into five major role-types, each having a specific make-up and costume. These role types are Minukku, Paccha, Katti,taadi (has three varieties viz. Velupputaadi, Chuvannataadi and Karupputtadi) and Kari.

Minukku
Minukku is the polished variety of facial make-up consisting in smoothening the actor's face with a coating of a mixture of yellow and red pigments. The composition obtains 'a self' (or natural skin) complexion colour. It reflects the characters usually found in Brahmins, Rishis and Virtuous women. The eyes and eye-lashes are painted and contours elongated with the black unguent and greasy collyrium. Sometimes the face is decorated with white or cream colour dots, running from the cheeks to the fore-head in a bow-shape. The lips are reddened and the forehead is decorated with a caste mark. This colour scheme serves to give a symbolic glow of piety to a devotee character. Women role-types are given delicate touches of the make-up.

Paccha
Paccha or predominantly deep green face role- types, are Gods, celebrated mythological heroes, and virtuous personages, symbolising inner refinement poise, heroism and moral excellence. This include heroes of a play and noble characters, Indra, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Satrugnan, Harischandra and Nala. The front part of their faces is given smooth deep green base on which chuttis (white rice-paste curves) run from the centre of the chin,covering the lower jaw, to either side of the face. The eyes and the eye-lashes are painted black and the lips bright red. It assumes the shape of a broad-blade saber or of a sweeping curve of a bow. The forehead, above the bow-tie shaped painted portion, is covered by a red ribbon of the gilded head gear.

Katti
As compared to paccha, the make-up of Katti role-types is complicated. This term literally means the knife, because in its make-up the shapes of colour positions resemble sharply bent daggers. Evil, demoniac and fierce characters standing against the hero of a play. Pratinayakaas such as Asuras (the enemies of the God's) ambitious and arrogant Raavana, Keechaka, Kamsa and Dussaasana are distinctively treated with this make-up. Their faces are given a foundation with green colour, the sides of their noses are painted in red. The red paint round the nose rises up to the forehead above the eye-brows. It is like a patch, an upturned moustache, covering the upper jaw. Its border lines are treated in white. On the green base of the rest of the face, a chutti runs along the jaw-bones from the middle of the cheek. Two white knobs, called chuttippuvus, are placed on the face. These vary in size with the degree of the fearsome appearance of some demoniac characters like Raavana and Dussaasana, two long protruding canine teeth(called dhamshtras)are perched on either side of the mouth. These drop over the lower lips. Katti make-up characters stand in a singular position.

taadi (Beard)
Those who have the taadi make-up are again, good godly and evil-demoniac. To differentiate one from the other, three taadi make-ups are in vogue: Veluppu taadi (white beard), Chuvanna taadi (red beard) and Karuppu taadi (black beard) In these make-ups white chutti is not planted on the face.

Veluppu taadi
It consists of a white beard and a fur coat. It is a realistic make-up for characters like Hanumaan, the son of God Vaayu, and other monkey sages and warriors. The upper half of the face-the neither part of the eyes -and lips are treated with a black ointment. The chin at the middle is decorated with a white rosette, bearing a red dot within. Red paint is applied to the lower part of the lower lip, up to the chin. A thin coating of chutti decoratively encloses the black-end part of the face and meets the chuttinata - the hem of the head dress. Another white pattern develops on either side of the cheeks and circling the red spots, starting from the base of the green painted nose. On the tip of the nose and the forehead two oval-shaped spots are given in red.

Chuvanna taadi
This make-up is given to hideous characters. The face is painted red, with black contour lines drawn round the eyes, lips and chin. This adds to the ferocity of less evil characters like Baali, Sugriiva, Kaalakeya and Dussaasana. The eye-brows and lashes are not elongated, no chutti is applied to the Chuvanna taadi. The face is dubbed in red and treated with black lines. Around the eyes, almost a square patch of deep black colour is provided to give to the eyes a fiendish look of a evil designer. Lips painted in black, are given a hilly curve to give the role type a lucid image of a beastly character. Running from the upper lip are two white paste bristled rows throwing the black patch round the eyes in bold relief and adding ferocity to the fiery red eyes, and demarcating the black portion from the remaining nether part of the face is red. Chuttippuvus (white blobs) on the tip of the nose and the fore-head are bigger in size than those put on by kathi characters. It is the most impressive of all make-ups in Kathakali.

Karuppu taadi
The third type of bearded characters make-up is with a black beard and coat. These characters include Kali, Kaattaalan (hunter), brigands and robber chieftains. In their make-up, the face is first coated with black unguent. The eyes are bracketed within oval-shaped white border lines, the area between two such lines being painted in red. Small white bristles adorn the ridges. Lips are in red. The tip of the nose bears a chuttippuuvu.

Kari
This make-up reveals the vile and evil characters, such as Suurpanakha and Simhika. Their faces are painted in black and the cheeks have a red crescent in the middle. A pair of damshtraas are provided. Shiva in the role of Kiraata (hunter) is also given this type of the make-up.

A remarkable feature of the Kathakali make-up is the reddening of the white of the eyes of all characters by putting in a few young seeds of chunda puuv (sollanum pubescence) crimson eyes stand in contrast to the colour scheme of the face. The practice is usually followed in pacha and minukku faces.

Make-up in the 'Green room'
Kathakali make-up is an elaborate process lasting for over three hours. It helps in giving a super human look to the actors. Whether it is a man's make-up or the woman's, the work is conducted by a make-up expert. Paints used in Kathakali make-up are freshly prepared and applied to ensure correctness of rhythmic curves and precision.

The make-up of the male characters other than saints is tedious. The role-type lies flat on a matted floor and the expert starts drawing 'the designs' on the face with a thin rod. The face part being complete, the role type gives the finishing touches himself. Thereafter he stands up for putting on the costume. The skirt is a well starched and pressed into-frills garments. But before the skirt is put on, the actor ties 20 to 40 pieces of short cloth round his waist by the help of a long cloth twisted rope in order to give the skirt an oval shape. He then puts on the jacket, etc. The finishing touches to the costume are given by the costume attendant. The actor is profusely ornamented with garlands of beads, armlets, cupped mirrors etc. Fully decorated , the actor gives the last minute touches to his make-up with the help of the cupped mirror. His head-dresses are huge and often unwidely .These are tied by an attendant.
The last part of the costuming is the tying up of the anklet bells. Women fancy to have the silver paijaebs (an ornament) and then tie the bells. In the case of male characters a decorative woolen is tied immediately above the anklet and the bells fixed on a leather pad or tied right below the knee.

Kathakali make-up traditions today widely differs from what it was in the seventeenth century.

Training to the Kathakali dancers
An intensive dance training is needed to make the body flexible and supple in order to respond to unusual forms weaved in the course of dancing.

To achieve fluidity, a Kathakali pupil undergoes extensive and vigorous training from an early age. A complete alteration in the behavior of the body is effected. Massages and oil-baths are an essential aid to awaken muscles, joints and nerves and to control their behavior.

Between the age of 11 and 14 years the pupil goes to an Aasaan, the teacher of a Kalari (a kind of gymnasium) and offers to him daanam (a present) either in cash or in kind clothes and with his guru-diksha (benediction) he enrolls himself for training.

Source : malayalamresourcecentre.org

The Art of Kathakali

The Art of Kathakali

Kathakali employs the four abhinayas, viz Sattvika, expression of thoughts by the efforts of the mind (Bhaava and Rasa). Aangika, conveyance of ideas by the movements of the various parts of the body (gestures).,Vaacika, spoken words, singing, shrieking, etc., and Aharya, the dress and deportment.

As in earlier dramatic forms, Raamanaattam players also sang the padas. But for the vigorous Kathakali, demanding tremendous physical exertion, singing by the actors was exacting and tiring. A change in the practice was conceived by Prince Vettathu Thampuran, who introduced a few fundamental innovations. He provided seperate singers and introduced the chenda, a percussion instrument, to announce a performance and give background sound effect. This drum's powerful and penetrating sound heightened the acting of supernatural characters appearing on the stage in hideous and fantastic make-ups. The religio-theatrical reforms brought Raamanaattam performances outside the temples for the enjoyment of all sections of the community. Masks were replaced by make-up; Mudras were accentuated, a variety of percussion instruments and characteristic costumes were introduced; singers and musicians formed an independent part of a show.
Symbols of the hand have played an important role in the art of Kathakali. With the help of Mudras, the hand poses are called in Sanskrit, a whole literary expression is reduced to elementary notions. There are sixty-four basic hand poses which connote five hundred words, while the alphabet of the eyes express emotions. Their permutations can be employed to convey any number of meanings requiring any detailed explanation in the modern concept of story-telling.

In the art of Kathakali, all emotional qualities, and psychic conditions acquire remarkable outward manifestation and mukhabhinaya (facial mime) is cunningly, sometimes lightly employed. While the Kathakali use elaborate similes and hyperboles, and fingers permute into mudras to represent words of comparison such as like, as if and same as, the eye-balls roll evanescently to tell the miracles. The face becomes the open drama in which the story is drawn in successive shades and touches of lineament.

According to the theme, a Kathakali song suggests the use of a particular Bhaava and Rasa (aesthetic delights) and the dance and mimicry are rendered most effectively in harmony with these aesthetic appeals. The powerful music heightens the moods of the actor and adds life to acting. He dances to the melodies of the song and executes the various passages with well- defined Padaghats (foot work). It provides scope for the amplification of an emotion and the abridgement of the climax of a story. The powerful footwork trembles the earth below and cuts short the final action.

As Kathakali is a story-play, interpreting a drisya kaavya, its various contrasting characters are presented. There are good and bad characters, demons and gods, wordly and unwordly role-types according to their castes, quality and nature. Each group is distinguished from the other by specific make-ups.

Source : malayalamresourcecentre.org

Origin of Kathakali

Origin of Kathakali

It was believed that Kathakali was conceived from Krishnanaattam, the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by the Zamorin of Calicut. The reason for that is said as follows: Once Kottarakkara Thampuran the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by the tone of the Krishnanaattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers on the eve of some festive occasion. Due to internal feuds and political rivalry between them, the Zamorin refused to send the performers and insulted with the remarks: ”It is useless to depute the troupe, because Kottarakkara Thespian’s court would be neither able to appreciate nor understand anything of the highly artistic Krishnanaattam and the high standard of the performance".

Here the political rivalry between the two chieftains leads to the art rivalry. So Kottarakkara Thampuran initiated a parallel mode of entertainment, which he called Raamanaattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha, and yet later into Kathakali while Krishnanaattam based on the story of Lord Krishna's activities, Raamanaattam described the complete story of Lord Raman. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, "the language of the Gods". Raamanaattam was in Malayalam, the language of the people. By the end of the seventeenth century, the finished product of Raamanaattam was placed before the world under the tittle Kathakali.

The costume of Kathakali has been much influenced by Chaakkyaar koothu and Koodiyattam the two older forms of dramatic representations in vogue in Kerala. The history of their origins dates back to the period of Perumals i.e. much earlier to the introduction of Raamanaattam. The whole scheme of Abhinaya (acting) and the use of Mudras (hand poses) and gestures were bodily adopted in Kathakali from them in addition to its borrowing and refinement of facial make-up and costume. The use of colour, costume, and make-up present a unique show and create an unearthly atmosphere. Kathakali became more attractive and popular than the Chaakkyaar koothu and Koodiyattam. Moreover ,its performance was not restricted to the precincts of the temples. Kathakali had a golden period between 1665 AD and 1743 AD.

Remarkable contributions were also made by Kaartika Thirunal, the king of Travancore, to Kerala's literature, art and dance. His efforts were also directed to popularising Kathakali among the people. He instituted a tradition of arranging Kathakali performances at various festivals and on the Navaratri night.

Source: malayalamresourcecentre.org