Kathakali

E164747

Kathakali is a classical dance-drama tradition from Kerala that combines elaborate costumes, expressive gestures, and music to depict stories from Indian epics.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Kathakali canonical 10

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Indian classical dance form
classical dance-drama
intangible cultural heritage
artFormType dance-drama
storytelling performance
theatre
associatedWith Bhakti movement
temple arts of Kerala
basedOn Hindu mythology
Indian epics
Mahabharata
Puranic stories
Ramayana
costumeFeature painted green face for heroic characters
red or black facial makeup for demonic characters
white rice-paste frame (chutti) around the face
countryOfOrigin India
developedFrom Koodiyattam
Krishnanattam
folk dance-drama traditions of Kerala
historicalPeriodOfOrigin 17th century
musicTradition Carnatic-influenced music
performanceLanguage Malayalam
Sanskritized Malayalam
performanceSetting night-long performances
traditional oil-lamp lighting
placeOfOrigin Kerala
primaryInstruments chenda
chengila
ilathalam
maddalam
shankh (conch)
recognizedAs major classical dance form of India
region South India
requires years of formal training
trainingIncludes eye exercises
facial muscle control
hand gesture vocabulary
rigorous physical exercises
uses elaborate costumes
face makeup
facial expressions
hand gestures
headgear
music
percussion instruments
vocal accompaniment
usesExpressionSystem navarasas
usesGestureSystem mudras

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

South India knownFor Kathakali
Kerala knownFor Kathakali
Kerala traditionalDanceForm Kathakali
Tandava influenced Kathakali
Nāṭyaśāstra influenced Kathakali
Onam traditionalDance Kathakali
Mohiniyattam relatedTo Kathakali
Therukoothu relatedArtForm Kathakali
Kalaripayattu influenced Kathakali