 |
|
 |
 |
Relying on Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, Kathakali
maestro Ramankutty Nair reformed the costume of Parasurama for
‘Seethaswayamvaram’, which resulted in a few controversies. However,
mainly due to the mettle of his performance, it clicked. When Vallathol
endorsed it, Ramankutty refrained from looking back. He was fated to
perform in this role many more times and at some point, it became his
masterpiece. The moment he stopped performing this role, more or less,
the play faded into oblivion from the Kathakali stage for several years. (‘Master of Perfection’ by K. K. Gopalakrishnan, The Hindu, March 14, 2013) |
|
In the ancient Tamil land, dancing was referred to by the terms kuttu,
adal or kurippu. The Tolkappiam refers to several variations of dancing.
From the sutras 60-70 of the Tolkappiam, we know that there were 2
types of dancing: valikakuttu and kodanada -naikuttu. The former was
perhaps the dance of the Goddess Valli. Kodanda-naikuttu was of higher
order. It was arranged in the honor of a young soldier, who stood boldly
in the front rank of the army and offered stout resistance when the
other retreated. (Kanak Rele, chapter ‘History of Kerala – Its Theatrical Arts and Mohiniattam’ in ‘Mohiniattam: The Lyrical Dance’) |
|
Tandava in its original form is a nritta type and its complimentary
lasya also is a nritta originally. When this nritta was coupled with
emotions by Bharata, it became nritya. Accepting that the ultimate
result of it should be rasa, laya has taken the shape of nritya-natya. (‘The story of lasya’ by Dr. Vibha Dadheech, Nartanam, Apr-July 2006) |
 |