Early Asian Theatre India
Early Asian TheatreIndia
Theatre & Religion
Theatre connects spirituality with music, dance, drama, art
Creating a “whole” art
Blurred lines between Theatre, Dance, Ceremony, Ritual
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5BaR4t_510
Traditions
embodied practices have been passed down
style, technique, and tradition or training is also passed down - caste system, geography, tourism
costuming, masks, make-up, choreography - are representative of specific periods & traditions
IndiaDrama
Sanskrit DramasShadow PuppetsDance Dramas
Kutiyattam dance-drama from Kerala, India [JOM]http://www.xip.fi/atd/introduction/introduction.html
Dramasmythology
epic stories (the Mahabharata and the Ramayana)
Peter Brook’s Mahabharata
hero’s journey/adventure
subplots
multiple characters (100s in Mahabharata)
Sanskrit Dramaswide range of subjects and types of play.
full-length poetic love stories
political plays
palace intrigues
shorter farces
one-act love monologues
Sanskrit Dramasearly centuries of C.E. through 1500s
Kalidasa - most celebrated
Malavika and Agnimitra, Urvasi Won by Valour, The famous Shakuntala (also The Recognition of Shakuntala)
http://www.xip.fi/atd/india/sanskrit-dramas.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIYRM8FT_XQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF3D6u8zcIAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETFxTQ8r_GQ
Rasa
Rasa - sentiment - or flavor
conveyed by word
facial expressions
symbolic gestures
stylized body language
http://www.xip.fi/atd/india/sanskrit-dramas.html
Rasa, ( Sanskrit: “essence,” “taste,” or “flavour,” literally “sap” or “juice”) Indian concept of aesthetic flavour, an
essential element of any work of visual, literary, or performing art that can only be suggested, not described. It
is a kind of contemplative abstraction in which the inwardness of human feelings suffuses the surrounding
world of embodied forms.
source: https://www.britannica.com/art/rasa
The theory of rasa is attributed to Bharata, a sage-priest who may have lived sometime between the 1st century bce and the 3rd century ce. It was developed by the rhetorician and philosopher Abhinavagupta (c. 1000), who applied it to
all varieties of theatre and poetry. The principal human feelings, according to Bharata, are delight, laughter, sorrow, anger, energy, fear, disgust, heroism, and astonishment, all of
which may be recast in contemplative form as the various rasas: erotic, comic, pathetic, furious, heroic, terrible,
odious, marvelous, and quietistic. These rasas comprise the components of aesthetic experience. The power to taste
rasa is a reward for merit in some previous existence.
source: https://www.britannica.com/art/rasa
Natya Shastra
ancient text on performance
attributed to sage Bharata Muni (3rd century B.C.E.)
36 chapters, 6000 poetic verses
dramatic composition, structure of a play, construction of the stage, acting, movement, costuming, makeup, the role of the director, music, instruments
–Victoria Looseleaf , LA Times, 2004
Before "The Wizard of Oz," "Star Wars" and "The Sopranos," there was the Ramayana. The mother of all good versus evil tales, this ancient Hindu myth
charts the story of Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, who, after being banished to the forest, does battle with the uber-nasty Ravana, winning back the
girl of his dreams, Sita.
Indian tolpavakoottu shadow theatre in Kerala, Indiahttp://www.xip.fi/atd/introduction/introduction.html
Shadow Puppetstwo types of Puppet dance/theatre in Kerala (a center for theatrical dance traditions-
Ramayana (tolpavakoothu)
glovepuppet theatre inspired by dance-drama (bhavakathakali)- more recent puppet form (18th C.E.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMTU5OxgRP0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvYwuL1XtOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j8cqPvM9aA
Kalaripayattu3rd century B.C.E.
Kalaripayattu- Martial Arts
Kerala’s famous form of martial arts (kalaripayattu)
incorporated military training/combat/ with yoga, dance, performing arts
https://youtu.be/SXP_RfW-Zno (Bollywood film clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KIWAnuQhrs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUUNgyH_47Y
Indian Dance, Music, Drama & Bollywood
understanding natyashastra https://youtu.be/nGWlSNOA1tc
Maya Ravana - In The Spirit Of The Ramayan https://youtu.be/NJdaesRq1fA
Shobana's Krishna https://youtu.be/eWnTerH1iVs
2015 Bollywood Dance Songs | Video Jukebox https://youtu.be/ZiUSUtZssuQ
Krrish (super hero) https://youtu.be/l9TGSAi9pV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWMTj-rejvc&list=RDQMO4GTmbo_w8w