KOZHIKODE: Kalaripayattu is making waves in Chile and how!
Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival, the annual event currently under way in Santiago, Chile, boasts a long association with the state’s martial arts form, which is counted among the oldest forms of combat in the world.
For the past few years, theatre performances in Chile, especially physical performances, have been seeing a major influence of kalaripayattu, thanks to the form’s exponents in Kerala who have been working hard to popularise its importance and potentials worldwide.
Belu Munoz Alarcon, a Chilean theatre actor who has been learning kalaripayattu six years ago and visited Kozhikode four months ago, says in their country, it is common for people to raise a voice against injustices. “Our performances are an extension of such protests. Kalari helps us explore our mind and body alike, which is essential in our theatre performances,” she says.
The connection between kalaripayattu and Chile dates back to nearly two decades, say sources.
Two researchers from the Experimental Theatre Company in the University of Chile and the Teatro Ensayo at Catholic University, Chile, who had been until then adopting and practising martial arts techniques of China for theatre performances, came to know about kalaripayattu.