Just Dance - Lady Gaga Has NOTHING on These Performers!

Southern India is rich in its rituals and traditions, sculptures and paintings, dance, music, theater, handicrafts and festivals. With millions of people who follow numerous religions, speak many languages and dialects and practice different customs - it is a wonder that they have commonly shared attitudes and beliefs that transcend all barriers. These commonly shared beliefs appear in the form of legend and myths which have endured for hundreds of years.


One of the art forms that visually and musically express these fairy tales is the Indian Classical Dance. We attended performances of two Southern India dance styles: Bharatnatyam and the Kathakali. We went to a special recital at the Kalakshetra School for Traditional Music and Dance while we were in Chennai. The director of the school performed 6 dances in the Bharatanayam style. We knew very little about the school and even less about the dance but we were very excited to be attending this special performance.The "air cooled" theater was filled for the two hour performance. The musicans, singers and dancers were all stunning. We knew we had seen something wonderful although as the trip progressed we came to realize just how truly exceptional the performance had been. Each pose, hand gesture, smile, tilt of the head, angle of the foot had a meaning. When I tried later to mimick some of the movements, I realized just how difficult they were to perform. Many of the movements were depicted in scultures and paintings we saw throughout the temples we visited because this dance form originated with the temple dancers.

CLICK HERE to see a video of the preparation for the Kathakali dance

Picture this as sung to the tune of the "Hokey Pokey": Put your left foot out, put your right leg up, put you left arm up and you shake it all about, you do the tripatake gesture and you put your right arm out; that's what its all about!


Although one of the smallest states in India, Kerala has perhaps the richest and most complex web of art forms. One of the best examples of these is the Kathakali Dance form. It is here in Fort Cochin that we see the local interpretation of the Mahabarata.

In reading about this dance form we learned about the meaning placed on the eye exaggerations, facial movements and hand gestures. With their elaborate costumes and mask-like makeup, it is like watching KISS perform classical dance. Once again every movement has meaning. The application of the make up is an art form itself. We were able to watch the make up applied before the performance.


CLICK HERE to see a video of the Kathakali Dance in Cochin

To savour the multi_layerwd subtleties of the Kathakali, or any of the classical dance forms of India, the audience is expected to be equally receptive and knowledgeable. The term often used for such an informed viewer is rasika who is "the lover of the beautiful," or anyone who has a healthy sense of humor and wit, anyone who enjoys the pleasures of life, anyone who can create an atmosphere of cheer and happiness around him. All the pigs are Rasikas but none more so than Julie whose eye movements and made up face outshone even the most seasoned of the performers.

CLICK HERE to see more Kathakali dancing



CLICK HERE for more facial expressions and elaborate makeup




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