Your Planet in 7 Seconds: Kathakali dancing in Kochi

Kathakali dance-drama originated in Kerala, Southern India. It is a highly stylized performance art, known for elaborate costumes, layered choreography and visually striking makeup.

The performers use hand gestures, facial expressions and rhythmic dancing rather than dialogue to tell their stories, which traditionally are a re-telling of Hindu myths. More recently, Western works have been made into Kathakali scripts – including Homer’s Iliad and Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Performances were originally created to last an entire night, but today usually run for two to three hours.

Kathakali actors require immense physical stamina and mental concentration to perform, training in the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu for bodily control. Dancers even learn to master the movements of their eyes in order to portray the symbolic gestures of the character.

Getting There

G Adventures runs a number of departures encompassing a wide range of departure dates and activities to cater for different tastes. We’re thrilled at the prospect of showing you this big blue planet of ours — check out our small group trips to India here.