Unfortunately, I’ve run out of time to detail the story behind the pictures that I took at Fort Cochin’s tourist trap of Greenix Village. In one air conditioned show, a tourist can see some samples of:
-
Kalaripayattu: Keralan’s ancient martial arts form
-
Kathakali: a combination of facial expression, a hand based sign language, and dance and based on famous dramas or stories
-
Theyyam: ritual dancing often performed by dancers in a trance who then mumble predictions or run around in a crazed like manner. The guy in the extremely tall head dress even ended on the top of the chairs in the audience. On the way back to the stage, he grabbed my head and yelled in my face before taking a finger to his red smeared chest and anointing a red dot to my forehead.
-
Mohiniyattam – traditional slow dances performed by women. To me, it was very similar to the traditional Cambodian dances.
So, although I was initially reluctant to go into such a tourist trap, I am glad I did because it wasn’t that much more expensive than the others and the show was polished and informative. The sensory stimulation from all the costumes, dancing, drumming, singing, and loud exclamations from the performers shouldn’t be missed – no matter what venue you choose. When you have been walking all day in 95 degree weather, air conditioning is a welcoming respite as well. I’ve also included a photo or two of the pre-show make up session – which is always part of the show. In short, if somebody visits Kerala, a Kathakali show should appear somewhere on a traveler’s agenda. Varkala had an amateur one but Fort Cochin and Cochin had more than three different venues to chose from.
-
- Theyyam example
-
- Kalipattraytu example
-
- Kathakali example
