INNOVATION WITHIN TRADITION
KATHAK YOGA : KATHAK YOGA IS A TECHNIQUE CREATED BY PANDIT CHITESH DAS. THE DANCER HAS TO RECITE THE TAAL, SING A MELODY, AND PERFORM COMPLEX FOOTWORK AND SPINS ALL WITHIN THE SAME COMPOSITION, AND FREQUENTLY WITH TWO OR MORE OF THESE ELEMENTS OCCURING SINULTANEOUSLY. THE AIM IS TO UNIFY THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF KATHAK, SO THAT THE DANCER IS CONSTANTLY AWARE OF THE PRECISE RELATIONSHIP OF WHATEVER COMPOSITION IS BEING DANCED (WHETHER A SONG OR A DANCE COMPOSITION) TO THE RHYTHM CYCLE.
GHUNGHRU : GHUNGHRU OR GHUNGHROO ARE THE SMALL BELLS THE DANCER TIES AROUND HIS OR HER ANKLES. THE KATHAK BELLS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF OTHER INDIAN DANCE STYLES, AS THEY ARE NOT AFFIXED TO A PAD OR STRIP OF LEATHER, BUT RATHER ARE INDIVIDUALLY WOVEN ALONG A THICK STRING. THE USUAL NUMBER OF BELLS IS 100 ON EACH ANKLE, ALTHOUGH FOR THE INITIAL STAGES OF LEARNING OR FOR CHILDREN, 25 AND 50 BELLED STRINGS ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE TO ALLOW THE DANCER TO GET USED TO THEM.
THERE IS A MORE OR LESS ACCEPTED UPPER CEILING OF 150 ON EACH ANKLE. GREATER FIGURES THAN THIS TEND TO INVOLVE THE TOPMOST CIRCLE OF BELLS BEING TIED FURTHER AND FURTHER UP A DANCER'S CALF. THIS IS GENERALLY REGARDED AS UNSUITABLE, BECAUSE IT IS AT SOME DISTANCE FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT, GIVING RISE TO THE UPPER LEVELS OF BELLS BEING PRONE TO DELAYED SOUNDING GIVEN THE INTERVENING SPACE AND AMOUNT O LEG. GREATER NUMBERS ARE ALSO UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL SINCE THE ARE MORE LIKELY TO SOUND AT UNWANTED MOMENTS, BEING AFFECTED BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE WHOLE OF THE LOWER LEG, RATHER THAN JUST THE ANKLE.
COSTUME : AS THE DANCE STYLE ITSELF HAS CHANGED TO REFLECT THE DIFFERENT MILIEUS IN WHICH IT FOUND ITSELF, SO TOO HAS THE COSTUME AND PERFORMANCE DRESS OF THE DANCERS.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN BIRJU MAHARAJ AND HIS DISCIPLE SARASWATI SEN FEMALE COSTUME : TRADITIONAL (AND PERHAPS MORE SPECIFICALLY HINDU) COSTUME SOMETIMES CONSISTS OF A SARI, WHETHER WORN IN AN EVERYDAY STYLE, OR TIED UP TO ALLOW GREATER FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT DURING DANCE. HOWEVER, MORE COMMONLY, THE COSTUME IS A LEHENGA-CHOLI COMBINATION. WITH AN OPTIONAL ODHNI OR VEIL. THE LEHENGA IS LOOSE ANKLE-LENGTH SKIRT, AND THE CHOLI IS A TIGHT FITTING BLOUSE, USUALLY SHORT-SLEEVED. BOTH CAN BE HIGHLY ORNATELY EMBROIDERED OR DECORATED. THE LEHENGA IS SOMETIMES ADAPTED TO A SPECIAL DANCE VARIETY, SIMILAR TO A LONG GHAGHRA,SO THAT DURING SPINS, THE SKIRT FLARES OUT DRAMATICALLY.
MUGHAL COSTUME FOR WOMEN CONSISTS OF AN ANGARKHA (FROM THE SANSKRIT ANGA-RAKSHAKA "LIMB-KEEPER) ON THE UPPER BODY. THE DESIGN IS AKIN TO A CHUDIDAAR KAMEEZ, BUT IS SOMEWHAT TIGHTER FITTING ABOVE THE WAIST, AND THE 'SKIRT' PORTION EXPLICITLY CUT ON THE ROUND TO ENHANCE THE FLARE OF THE LOWER HALF JUGGING TROUSERS FOLDED UP GIVING THE LOOK OF CLOTH BANGLES. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ARE A SMALL PEAKED CAP AND BANDI OR SMALL BANGLES. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A BELT MADE OF ZARI OR PRECIOUS STONES IS ALSO WON ON THE WAIST.
MALE COSTUME : THE TRADITONAL HINDU COSTUME FOR MEN TO BE BARE-CHESTED. BELOW THE WAIST IS THE DHOTI, USUALLY TIED IN THE BENGAL STYLE, THAT IS WITH MANY PLEATS AND A FAN FINISH TO ONE OF THE ENDS (ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT UNKNOWN FOR DANCERS TO TIE THE GARMENT MORE SIMPLY) THERE IS THE OPTION OF WEARING A MEN'S BANDI TOO.
THE MUGHAL COSTUME IS KURTA : THE KURTA CAN BE A SIMPLE ONE, OR AGAIN, ADAPTED FOR DANCE TO INCORPORATE WIDER FLARE, BUT IS USUALLY AT LEAST KNEE LENGTH. MEN MAY ALSO WEAR AN ANGARKHA (SEE FEMALE COSTUME ABOVE) PARTICULARLY OLDER VARIETY COSTUMES INCLUDE THE SMALL PEAKED CAP TOO.
KATHAKALI : KATHAKALI IS A FORM OF INDIAN DANCE-DRAMA . IT ORIGINATED IN THE SOUTHERN STATE OF KERALA DURING THE LATE 16TH CENTURY, APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 1555 TO 1605 AD. THE NAME KATHAKALI DERIVES FROM THE MALAYALAM WORDS "KATHA" (MEANING STORY) AND "KALI" (MEANING PLAY)
KATHAKALI ORIGINATED FROM RAMANATTOM (RAMAN, ATTOM (ENACTMENT) AND KRISHNANATTOM (KRISHNAN, ATTOM (ENACTMENT) SUBSEQUENTLY, KOTTAKARA THAMPURAN (RULER OF KOTTARAKARA, ONCE A PROVINCE IN KERALA) COMPOSED SEVERAL PLAYS ON MAHABHARATA WHICH LED TO THE EVOLUTION OF KATHAKALI, RAMANATTOM CONTINUED AS A PART OF KATHAKALI. KATHAKALI SHARES A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO KRISHNANATTOM, KOODIYATTOM (SANSKRIT DRAMA EXISTING IN KERAL) AND ASHTAPADIATTOM (AN ADAPTATION OF 12TH CENTURY MUSICAL CALLED GITA GOVINDAM) IT ALSO POPULARLY. IN PARTICULAR, THE USE OF MALAYALAM, WHICH IS THE LOCAL LANGUAGE (ALBEIT AS A MIX OF SANSKRIT AND MALAYALAM, CALLED MANIPRAVAALAM) MADE IT MORE POPULAR AMONG THE MASSES, DURING ITS EVOLUTION, KATHAKALI ALSO IMBIBED ELEMENTSFROM FOLK AND MARTIAL ARTS WHICH EXISTED AT THE TIME IN KERALA.
CHARACTERS WITH VIVIDLY PAINTED FACES AND ELABORATE COSTUMES TO RE-ENACT STORIES FROM THE EPICS LIKE MAHABHARATA AND RAMAYANA. KATHAKALI IS FEATURED IN THE AWARD-WINNING INDO-FRENCH-GERMAN PRODUCED FILM VAAMAPRASTHAM DIRECTED BY SHAJI N KARUN AND ACTED BY MOHANLAL. KATHAKALI HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN PERFORMED IN TEMPLES AND PLACES, BUT NOWADAYS IT MAY ALSO BE SEEN IN OTHER ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTIONS. EARLIER KATHAKALI WAS IN AN UNCIVILISED FORM, LATER IT HAS BEEN REFORMED IN THE NEW VERSION BY THE GREAT ARTIST KAPPLINGATTU NAMPOOTHIRI INTRODUCING ALL THOSE CHANGES THAT WE SEE TODAY. AT THE BEGINNING THERE WAS NO SUCH MAKE UPS FOR "VESHAM". LATER THE INTRODUCED SUCH PERFECT MAKE UP AND SEPARATE SINGER FOR KATHAKALI.
