Kathakali

Kathakali is the most developed dance drama art of India. In Kerala, the drums roll, beckoning an audience to a spectacle most magnificent. Here, the actors depict characters from the Puranas and from the Mahabharata - super human beings, demons and ordinary men and women.

The dancers, who are all male, adorn themselves in huge skirts and head dresses, wearing what must surely be the most intricate make-up known to any dance style anywhere in the world. Dialogue is combined with dance to bring myth and legend vividly to life in the temple courtyards of Kerala. So strong is the identification of the dancers with the characters they play, so absolute is their conviction, that they display an incredible level of histrionic skills.