Kathakali, a 17th century dance-drama, has predominantly been performed by the menfolk. But over the years, women have also pursued this dance form. In recent decades, foreigners who often constitute bulk of the audience of this dance have taken an active interest in learning it.
On October 24, Andrea Ariel of Argentina, performed the purappadu - an introduction to Kathakali - at the Kerala Kathakali Centre, Fort Kochi.
Andrea, a 25-year-old English teacher, took training under Sadanam Vijayan for 21 days at the centre.
If you were to take a closer look at Andrea during her performance on stage, the structured make-up would lead you to believe it could be a native rendering the dance. The only thing that lets out her identity is her bare hands and feet.
The elaborate and puffed-up clothing, the headgear, and layers of paint make it easy for individuals, irrespective of their race and gender to ease into the portrayal of characters of this art form.
Kathakali is an amalgamation of dance and drama where music and singing take a secondary role. The thrust of this dance form is given to expressions on the face which can only be mastered after several years of training.
Vijayan, a trained Kathakali dancer for 26 years, says Andrea is his first foreign student to have performed on stage. She was trained on a daily basis from 10 - 12 in the morning and 2 - 3.30 in the afternoon.
Was there any communication gap in terms of the language? “If the student is interested in learning, then language is not a problem,” says Vijayan.
According to Vijayan, it was Andrea’s enthusiasm and curiosity that made it easier for her to learn the dance. “She wants to know about Kathakali in depth, unlike others who come here to learn it for a few days,” says Vijayan.
For Andrea, learning Kathakali was like learning a difficult language. “It was like being born again - like a child taking her first step,” she says.
Andrea who studied theatre at Unitech in New Zealand says that Kathakali was part of the module of her course which sparked a desire to know more about it. She had been keen about Kathakali for the last seven years and read extensively about it. She is somewhat familiar with the Mahabharata. She had even spoken to people who had taken classes in Kathakali. However, she realised that the only way to know more about this dance was to come to Kerala and receive training.
An active theatre artist, Andrea has her own theatre company, ‘Lab’, where she stages her comic plays. She says that her theatre background helped her. It was like learning a new theatre language. “My teacher in New Zealand taught me how to learn,” says Andrea.
Andrea likes the philosophy behind the dance and the discipline in terms of the commitment of the artists around her. She says the atmosphere was conducive to learning the dance. “It was like living with a family,” she says. She plans to come to Kerala every year to continue her training.