Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclop edia

DANCE

With invasion, Kathak suffered a complete eclipse for sometime, till it was revived by the Mughal emperors in the seven- teenth century. In this phase of its evolution, Kathak took on a secular character. The art which was originally visualised as the dance of Krishna- Natwari Nritya — lost its symbolic significance and became an enter- tainment at the court. The Vaishnav cult which centred around manifes- tations of the god Vishnu and the bhakti (devotional) movement that swept over the north of India in the 15th Century, contributed to the the Muslim

arts of Kerala. Among them, Chakiar Koothu, Kudiyattam (stylised dramas) Mutiyattu, Tirayattam and Tiyattam (ritual dances), Sas- trakali and Ezhmattakali (martial dances). Krishnattam and Ramanattam have had a direct influence on the development of Kathakali. Kathakali divides the characters into three categories : Satvik, Rajas and Tamas. Satvik represents Gods and kings like Bhima and Arjuna, they are called Pachai (Green). Rajas represents Duryodhana, Ravana etc and are called Katti. Tamas characters like Dushasana and similar wicked characters are called Tadi (red). Kari (black) is the make-up for chandalas. Women, brahmins and sages do not have any elaborate make-up but only Minuku, a slight touch of yellow. Special emphasis is laid on the Aharya aspect of Abhinaya which can be seen from the gorgeous costumes and headgear. The dancers wear large skirts and use weapons like swords and maces during the battle sequences. The make-up takes more than three hours. The face is painted elaborately, but no mask is put on. The eyes are drawn out from the inner side of the eye near the nose to the end of the hairline on either side in strong black lines. On the forehead is drawn an elaborate namam , a religious marking. A Kathakali programme which is usually held in the open fields on moonlit nights begins with the Keli Kottu, an announcement to the villagers that the dance drama is to be performed. Just before the play starts, Thodayam and Mangalam are performed behind the curtain, after which, with the appearance of a character on the stage, the purappad is performed. Then the play starts, ending only at day break with a mangalam. Purappad, Ashtakalashams and Thodayam are dance items of the Tandava variety, while Kummi, Sari and Panthadi are items of the Lasya type. Every muscle and joint of the body has to be trained to establish perfect control over movement. Since the actor cannot speak on the stage, he expresses himself through eye movements of which there are 8, eyeball movements (9), eyebrow movements (7), eyelid movements (9), mudras or hand gestures which are multiplied into over hundreds of hastas. These are coupled with facial expressions. The Kathakali artiste makes use of an elabo- rate language of gesture. This is based upon a text entitled Hasta Lakshana Deepika, which elaborates a code of 24 basic hastas. Young boys begin their study in a gurukula from the early age of ten. The eyes, the eyebrows, the cheeks, the chin, the mouth, and the head are all exercised individually and then in combination with one another. Unlike the other dance styles, Kathakali has remained a mas- culine prerogative because of its virile, athletic nature until re- cently. Women characters were played by men. Mahakavi Val- lathol Narayana Menon popularised Kathakali by establishing the Kerala Kalamandalam in Shoranur in 1930. Guru Gopinath, Kunju Kurup, Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Chatunni Parinicker are some of the prominent exponents of Kathakali. Guru Gopinath was the first to popularise it outside Kerala. KATHAK : The traditional Kathak style of dancing is a synthesis of two cultures, the Hindu and Muslim. It had its origin in the temples of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where the Kathak or story teller recited stories from the Bhagvata and Puranas and inter- spersed the narration with dance movements.

emergence of a whole range of lyrics that became a base for dramatic interpretation. In the later part of the nineteenth century, the Nawabs of Oudh, especially Nawab Wajid Ali Shah patronised Kathak from which emerged the Lucknow Gharana. It is characterised by graceful movement, subtle bhava or expression and sophisticated use of rhythm. Another royal patron of Kathak was Raja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh (Madhya Pradesh). He encouraged different gharanas, including the Lucknow and Jaipur. The Jaipur Gharana is noted for its vigorous rendering of nritta with emphasis on. speed and rhythm. It nurtured an important part or angle of the Kathak narrative tradition - the Kavit-toda. A third school of Kathak was the Banaras Gharana, also called the Jaqaki Prasad Gharana after its founder. The Banaras Gharana uses dance syllables (both oral and played on the tabla) for pure dance sequences, with emphasis on grace and precision. Pure dance is a predominant feature in Kathak “ Nritta ” is an expression of the pure joy of movement and what is immediately recognised as rhythmic abandon. The most fascinating aspect of Kathak is the extreme virtuos- ity displayed in the rendering of the parans, todas and tukadas (patterns of rhythmic composition), all of which require speed and control. The gat nikaas, gat bhava and artha bhava are sequences in portraying the abhinaya aspect. Hastas are used in Kathak both in the realistic and codified forms. Artha bhava or Bhav Batana is the portrayal of a theme in Thumires, Padas etc. The repertoire of Kathak consists of Rangmanch ki pooja, Ganesh Vandana, Thaat, Tukda pranam, Ghat nikas, Ghat bhav, Arth bhav. The aamad or entry of the dancer on the stage is usually considered a prelude to the more intricate dancing that follows. Thakur Prasad and his descendants, Kalka Prasad, Bindadin, Achhan Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj, Shambu Maharaj , Birju Ma- haraj of Lucknow and Pandit Jailal, Sunder Prasad and Sohan Lai of Jaipur are some of the Gurus who have handed down the tradition of Kathak. Menaka Damayanti Joshi, Sitara Devi, Rohini Bhate, Maya Rao, Kumudini, Durga Lai, Uma Sharma, Chitra Venugopal and Lakhia are the exponents who have popularised the art. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has established a national centre for Kathak-the Kathak Kendra at Delhi — for propagation of the art.