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The Thullaldance form of Kerala

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    History & Culture
  • Published
    3rd Aug, 2021

Context

During the harvest festival in August-September, the artists prepareto leave home for long spells to perform at temple festivals across Kerala and perform song-and-dance Thullal, which is steeped in a satire on contemporary society through the themes are mythological.

About theThullal dance

  • The word 'Thullal' means 'to leap or jump about playfully.
  • It emerged in the eighteenth century.
  • Three forms of thullal are - OttanThullal, ParayanThullal and SeethankanThullal. Of the three OttanThullal is the most popular.

Key features of the dance form

  • A solo performance combines both dance and recitation.
  • The performer through the classical acting techniques portrays the various characters in an episode and does the narration.
  • Thullal is the explication of a tale which is drawn from the puranas and narrated in verse.
  • It was introduced by KunchanNambiar, the renowned poet of the eighteenth century.
  • The humorous and satiric mode of presentation and use of simple Malayalam language made thullal very popular among the ordinary people.
  • It is accompanied by an orchestra of mridangam, harmonium and cymbals.
  • The make-up is simple and very much similar to that of Kathakali.
  • The face is painted with yellow arsenic mixed with blue color. The eyes are blackened and lips reddened.
  • The dancer wears breast-plate which has golden pearls, necklaces and colourful tassels.
  • The white waist clothes resemble the skirts.
  • The head-gear is small which is made of light wood and studded with bright stones and decorated with golden paper.
  • The bracelets, amulets and waistlets are almost similar as in Kathakali.

Art forms of kerala

  • Kathakali, Ottamthullal, Chakyarkoothu,Krishnanattam,Koodiyattam,Padayani, Kalaripayattu, Pavakathakali, Theyyam, Velakali, Thiruvathirakali, Kolkali.

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