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Kathakali is a colourful and ancient form of classical dance theatre, which originated in the temples of Kerala, south west India, over 500 years ago.

It combines sign language with drama, dance, music, visual arts and ritual to create a visually exciting form of theatre.

Performers from the south Indian dance company, Kala Chethena Kathakali Troupe, dramatised stories from Hindu legends and mythology.

Vijayakumar's female kathakali character

Kalamandalam Vijayakumar, a kathakali actor for 30 years specialising in performing female characters and co-founder of Kala Chethena Kathakali Troupe, said:

“Katha means story and kali translates to play. Sign language is the seed of kathakali, priests in the temples would pray using sign language, this then developed into a stylised dance form.”

Extraordinary costumes and make-up transform the actors into mythical and religious characters, telling stories from Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Characters are categorized according to their nature. This determines the colours used in the make-up.

The faces of noble male characters, such as virtuous kings and divine heroes, are predominantly green.

An evil kathakali character

Characters of high birth, which have an evil streak such as the demon king Ravana from the Ramayana story, are allotted a similar green make-up, slashed with red marks on the cheeks.

Extremely angry or excessively evil characters wear predominantly red make-up and a flowing red beard.

Forest dwellers such as hunters are represented with a predominantly black make-up base. Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces.

The technique of Kathakali includes a highly developed language of gesture, through which the artist can convey whole sentences and stories. The body movements and footwork are very rigorous.

To attain the high degree of flexibility and muscle control required for this art form, a Kathakali dancer undergoes a strenuous course of training and special periods of body massage.