Friday, October 3, 2014

Kochi - Kathikali

Monday, 22 September 2014

In the evening we returned to the Fort Cochin area for a Kathikali exhibition. Kathikali is a traditional Keralan dance form that involves elaborate costumes and highly stylized dance. A true Kathikali tells stories from the great Hindu epics and lasts from dusk to dawn. The tourist version lasts about an hour.

The exhibition starts with watching the make-up artist do his magic on the dancer's face.

The characters are identifiable by their costume. The green face means this dancer will be the hero of the story -- the one with honor and valor.


The performance starts with a short dance in the classical style. This is not Kathikali, but is comparable to classical dance forms throughout India.


The Kathikali performance follows.

The villain of the story -- a spy who pretends to be an alluring young maiden.
The hero in full costume.
The total costume is not only elaborate, but quite heavy.
You really need a video to experience the dance:


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