Indian Classical Dance

1. From Koodiyattam to Kathakali
In the Keralaofthe9th century, the'chakyars'(actors) began stagingtheSanskrit dramas
ofBhasa(Bhasa is one ofthe earliest andthemost celebratedIndianplaywrights in Sanskrit.
Bhasa is placed as early as 4thcentury BCand as lateas 10th centuryBC) in temple theatres.
In 2001 UNESCO declaredKoodiyattamas a masterpieceoforal andintangibleheritage of
humanity.
The dramatic formof Koodiyattam influencedthedevelopmentofKrishnattam(Krishnattamis a
cycle of8 playsdepictingthelife ofKrishnafrombirth to death) andRamaAttam, outofwhich
grew theclassicaldanceformKathakali.
Kathakali is bestsuitedto anopenair stageagainst the lushgreeneryofKerala's scenery .It
generally requires no props,as thedancers usetheirgesturesand expressionsto suggestthe scene.
It is worth notingherethat coloris madeuseofto indicatemental stages andcharacter; e.g., green
facial make-upindicatesnobility, divinity,virtue,while redpatchesbesides thenoseand blobs on
the nosepoint to characters combining royalty andevil andthewickedfemales haveblack face
make-up.The danceformshows remarkableuseofeyemovementsand expressions.