Dance and Culture of Kerala : A Brief History

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most colourful and spectacular folk arts associated with the festivals of certain temples in Southern Kerala. In this folk art, we have a series of divine and semi-divine impersonations wearing huge masks or Kolams of different shapes, colours and designs, which are painted on the stalks of arecanut fronds. The most important kolams usually portrayed in a Padayani performance are Bhairavi (Kali), Kalan (god of death), Yakshi (fairy) and Pakshi (bird).

THEYYAM

Theyyam is a Dravidian dance form performed in Malabar region of Kerala. Theyyam, otherwise known as Kaliyattom, is a sacred dance performance for the goddess Kali, by which it holds large religious and social importance. In the ancient times, every village of Kerala had its own common shrine called Kavu and it was imperative to have Kaliyattom performed in front of the Kavu.

KUMMATTIKALI

Kummattikali is the famous colorful mask-dance of Kerala, prevalent in Thrissur, Palakkad and parts of South Malabar. The dancers wear brightly painted wooden face masks and perform to rhythm which is provided by using a bow-like instrument called onavillu. During the festival of Onam, Kummattikali performers move from house to house collecting small gifts and entertaining people.

OPANNA

Performed by both men and women, Oppana is accompanied by clapping of hands. Mainly performed during marriages, the women receive the bride, form a circle around her and clap in tune with the music, while men stand on the side singing songs, ready to receive the bridegroom. The instrument used to produce rhythm is called daf or tap, a round percussion instrument, covered on one side with hide. Oppana is an exquistic folk art form performed traditionally among the Muslim community in Kerala.

MARGAM KALI

Margam Kali, a group dance developed by the Syrian Christians of Kerala, is said to have evolved from Kalaripayattu. The word ’Margam’ means ’path’ and was meant for the propagation of Christian religious ideas. There is no separate music to accompany the performance, the dancers sing by themselves while performing in a circle around a lit oil lamp. The theme of the songs revolves around the life of St. Thomas.

THIRUVATHIRA

Thiruvathira is a popular group dance form which is usually performed during the festival of Onam. Typically dressed in Kerala style with mundu and neriyathu & their hair decked with jasmine flowers, the women dance in a circle around a Nilavilakku (a large lit oil lamp), to melodious Thiruvathira songs which are well known for their literary flourish. Moving in a circle, clockwise and at times anticlockwise, at every step they gracefully bend sideways, with their arms coming together in beautiful gestures, upwards and downwards and to either side, in order to clap in unison.

KOLKALI

Kolkali, which involved the use of wooden sticks as props, is a highly rhythmic dance form, mainly performed by agrarian sect of the society. The dance is usually performed by a group of 24 dancers, who move in a circle striking the wooden sticks together. The dance gains tempo and pace as it advances. Usually, only males participate in this dance and they require basic martial arts training to perform the complicated steps. A mixed dance in which both men and women participate.

MUDIYETTU

Mudiyettu is a traditional ritual theatre and folk dance drama from Kerala that enacts the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. The characters are all heavily made up with gorgeous costumes, elaborate face paintings, conventional tall head-gears etc. Attired and adorned exotically in an extremely manner, the characters seem quite supernatural. The performance as a ritual, is part of the Bhagavathi or Bhadrakali cult. The dance is performed in temples called ’Bhagavathi Kavus’, the temples of the Mother Goddess, between February and May, after the harvesting season. In 2010, Mudiyettu was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the second art form from Kerala, after Koodiyattom.