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- Introduction
- Postures
- Narrating Without Words
- Facial Expressions
KOOTHU is a solo performance comprising acting and dancing and developed as part of the ancient tradition of Kerala's Sanskrit theatre koodiyattam.
All the characters of the story will be enacted by one person to the accompaniment of the mizhavu played by the Nambiar's , the male members of a drummer sub-caste of temple dwellers and the kuzhithalam (cymbals) played by the Nangiar, the female members of this community.
As the name indicates, Nangiar koothu is performed by a woman of the Nambiar community.
With the founding of the Ammanur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam (Training centre for kutiyattam) in 1982 in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, by Padmasree Ammanur Madhava Chakyar, the last of the outstanding kutiyattam guru like Parameshwar Chakyar and Mani Madhava Chakyar, the revival of Nangiar koothu as the only artform of women in Kerala was taken up, too.
Once revived, Nangiar koothu gained popularity within no time. Usha Nangiar was among those trained under Guru Ammanur, and her outstanding performances have contributed to the fame that her name has almost become synonymous with this art form.
The visual impressions gained during Usha Nangiars performance of Akruragamanam within the 16th Kutiyattam festival of the Ammanur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam on January 8th, 2003, at Natana Kairali ( Research and performing centre for Traditional Arts), Irinjalakuda, Kerala, are presented within this web site.
narrating through gestures
postures
narrating without words
facial expressions
