The+BeKathakali+Training+Institutions+and+Gurus+by+William+Lee

By William Lee**
 * Renowned Kathakali Training Institutions and Gurus

The Kerala Kalamundalam is among the most established and esteemed Kathakali training institutions. Located in the Cheruthuruthy village of Thrissur District in central Kerala.

The school was founded by the poet Padmabhooshan Vallathol Narayana Menon in 1930. The Kalamandalam regards itself as "strictly a residential center of learning." In addition to Kathakali, Kalamandalam offers training in, Kudiyattam, Thullal, and other classical theater forms. Training is also provided in classical percussion instruments such as maddalam and chenda. Kalamandalam is widely credited as helping to give a second life to Kathakali when it almost died out under colonial regulations during the early 1900s. Since its conception, Kalamandalam has trained students in the ancient tradition in which students and teachers live and learn in the same environment--Gurukula Sampradaya. Some masters that have taught and studied at the Kerala Kalamandalam include Kalamandalam Gopi, Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, and Kaluvazhi Vasu.  Kalamandalam Gopi, originally named Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nairfrom, was born in 1937 in Kerala. Kalamandalam Gopi has become well-known and widely acclaimed for his blend of the stylized, traditional Kalluvazhi form with the more emotional Southern style. He is primarily known for his portrayal of pachcha roles in Kathakali such as Nalan, Karnan, and Rukmangadan. According to legend, Vallathol Narayana Menon was so impressed by Gopi's features that he was pulled to the front of the line during induction as a trainee. He attended Kalamandalam in the mid 1950s and by the 1960s was a successful Kathakali performance artist Kaluvazhi Vasu  Sources: www.artindia.net/kathakali2.html www.kalamandalam.org/ wikipedia.org