History+&+Development

=History & Development=

=
Kathakali, meaning story-play, is an Indian dance-drama that emerged in the late 16th century from the combination and development of many earlier dance and ritual traditions. It uses highly colorful costumes and elaborate make-up to depict Hindu gods in the ever present struggle between good and evil. There are 5 elements that contribute to the art of Kathakali: Natyam (Expressions), Nritham (Dance), Nrithyam (Enactment/Hand gestures), Geetha (Song) and Vadyam (Instruments).=====


 * **Krishnanattam**
 * Krishnanattam takes its origins from the 8 dramas written by Prince Manaveda of Calicut who later became Zamorin of Calicut. These 8 dramas known as the Krishna Geeti were written in sanskrit and were based on the important events in Krishna's life. In 1654 the Krishna Geeti was transformed from its written pages into a dance-drama that was acted out. This new form of dance theatre was named Krishnanttam.


 * **Ramanattam**
 * Ramanattam finds its origins in its creator Kattarakkara Thampuran who was the Raja of Kattarakkara. It is said that he was so impressed with Krishnanattam that he asked Zamorin of Calicut to loan his troupe of performers. The Zamorin and the Raja had a political strife between them so he said no based on his belief that they could not truly understand or appreciate the art form. Kattarakkara Thampuran then decided to create his own drama based on the life of Rama, which was written in Malayalem.


 * **Attakatta**
 * Attakatta which evolved from Ramanattam and later into Kathakali was performed in Manipravalam which is a mixture of both Sanskrit and Malayalam.


 * **Chakyar Koothu**
 * Chakyar Koothu is a very old theatrical performance were actors narrate Hindu epics in highly refined monologues. In this form facial expressions are emphasized and dancing is minimal.


 * **Koodiyattam**
 * Koodiyattam is the only surviving Sanskrit theatre and is believed to be 2000 years old.

Kathakali costumes, acting, make-up and hand poses were all influenced by Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu, which pre-dated most of Indian dramas.
 * Nair Caste Influence on Kathakali**


 * Since the Nair caste was the primary performers of Krishnanattam and Ramanattam it makes since that their martial arts styling of Kalaripayattu filtered into movements found in Kathakali. Training exercises such as deep massages and body flexibility are also still seen in training for Kathakali.


 * Innovations in Kathakali**


 * **Prince Vettathu Thampuran**
 * Prince Vettathu Thampuran brought in separate singers as well as drums, chenda, to announce the start of the performance.


 * **Kaplingattu Narayanan Namboodiri**
 * Kaplingattu Narayanan Namboodiri lived in the later part of the 18th century and helped reform almost every aspect of Kathakali from make-up and costumes to acting, music and instruments.


 * From Priests to the People**


 * Krishnanattum was written in Sanskirt which separated it from the masses because only the priests could read and wright it. With the adoption of Malayalam (language of the common man) by Ramananattam, the people of Kerala were able to finally have a theatre form in which they could feel apart of. This became the chief reason why Kathakali became so popular.


 * Saving Kathakali**


 * In the early 20th century Kathakali had become a dying art form in which few people were being trained. All that changed when the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakkulam Mukunda Raja opened the Indian performing arts institution, Kerala Kalamandalam. Established in 1930 the Kerala Kalamendalam has received many awards and is now a University.


 * Citations**

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakali http://www.zonkerala.com/articles/kathakali.htm http://www.malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/culture/artforms/kathakali/main.html http://www.kathakali.net/ http://www.cyberkerala.com/kathakali/evolution.htm Performing Arts of Kerala: Kathakali