Indian Dances

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PREFACE \| BHARATANATYAM \| CHHAU \| KATHAK \| KATHAKALI \| KUCHIPUDI MANIPURI \| MOHINIATTAM \| ORISSI \| SATRIYA \| YAKSHAGANA

YAKSHAGANA

Yakshagana hails from the coastal strip of Karnataka. There is evidence in the Bharatatesha Vaibha (written in 1557) that this form is at least 400 years old. Yakshagana has its base in the ritualistic Nagamandala practices. The heart of this form is gana or song, arising from a distinct class of Kannada literature. Particularly every theme carries a moral.

Yakshagana is actually dance-opera. A play has 200 to 300 stanzas set to various

meters. The bhagvata or the conductor of the dance-opera first sings a verse and the characters interpret it through expressional dance. Some 150 ragas are known to the Yakshagana tradition. The principal manifestations are of Vishnu. The active performance season is from December to May, when the crop has been harvested.

Dancing in Yakshagana is not very intricate which is why it is sometimes mistaken or relegated to folk theatre. Footwork is very important, though hasta or hand gestures are near absent. Aharya or make-up in this form is distinctive as in Kathakali. The characters are divided into certain principal types. Noble kings have a large black moustache and a sacred red mark on the forehead. A gilded crown adds appeal to king and heroes.