Sacred Dance of India

Author(s): Mrinalini Sarabhai
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 36

.
34 4
Yakshagana Characters (Karnataka)
The costumes of Yakshagana are colourful and fantastic in their concept As in Kathakalı, costumes and make-up indicate the characteristics of each individual, hero or villain Though the facial make-up is simple, the costumes are in meaningful colours The kings wear crowns, and the other characters, turbans of a particular style, differing in size and colour with each actor
Evil characters make up their faces in bizarre designs and are easily recognized by the shape and size of their head-dress, the colour of their clothes and the shape of their ornaments
At sunset, the youthful students or Kodangus begin the dance Then after a prayer to Ganesa, the Vidushaka reverently carries the image of God to the stage, and there, with music and chanting, the God is worshipped Then, enter the young boys-Krishna and Balarama---who dance and leave the stage to two women dancers
As in Kathakal and Kuchepudz, characters enter behind a curtain and stand with their back to the audience The main roles are those of the hero, the heroine, the demon and the Vidushaka
All through the night the varied scenes are enacted and the sunrise brings the play to an end with the traditional mangalam The Yakshagana style is musically of extreme interest as many of the rare ragas of South India (Carnatic music) and the rhythmic beats or bıdıthige accompanying each character as he enters the stage, known as voddolage, are recited musically, unlike Bharata Natyam This indicates the intricate relationship of dance and music in Yakshagana, which was originally a purely musical form, and the images of the dance were an expression of the varying emotions of the harmonious and discordant elements of the music
WALACL alles
THIRTY-TWO