Various Dance Forms of Kerala

[HockGary]

A Kerala Tourism will inevitably include an experience of the breathtaking culture of Kerala. Thiruvathira is a group dance by young ladies of Nair community on the night of Thiruvathira of the month of Dhanu in the Malayalam calendar, corresponding to December in Christian era, till dawn, singing in praise of Lord Shiva. For married women it is an imperative ritual propitiating the God for granting lingering matrimony and for virgin maids, it is for the boon of getting a pleasing matrimonial alliance. Attired in traditional white handloom Mundu and Neryath and adorning fabulous gold jewellery, women dance round the Nilavilakku (pedestal wick lamp) placed in the courtyard, singing and clapping hands. It has songs written specifically for the purpose in special metric scale, narrating stories from the legends.

Chavittu nadakam is a Christian dance drama developed exclusively in Kerala as a counterpart of Kathakali enacted in Hindu temples. Unlike other performing arts, this drama is presented on a raised platform made of planks spread on skeleton wood structure. Actors don in colourful Roman attires enacts stories from Bible with rich dialogues and songs to the accompaniment of beating of country drums. The predominant feature of this art is the artistes stamping the dance floor producing resonant sounds to accentuate the dramatic situations.

[grandpa]

I saw these dances in Vagator 10 years ago they were very good.