yakshagana

Like Kathakali Yakshagana is a vigorous and masculine dance form. The best known dance drama in Karnataka, Yakshagana was organized by Thapasya. A group of 13 men from Kasargod enacted the theme of Mahishivadham, at the Priyadarsini Hall.
IT UNFOLDED through the dance song and abhinaya. But it not highly developed as in KATHAKALI. ‘It is a true people theatre, staged usually in paddy fields at night and the themes are based on myths and legends-said Raghurama, who performed the role of Mahishasuran. The term Yaksha means demi gods, associated with kubera-the god of wealth and gana is song. The peotic songs prasanga are sung by the chief musician (Bhagavatha) who controls the pace of the performance. Generally the songs are rendered in Kannada. But its Malayalam versions are available. The performer too sings the verses and delivers dialogues besides interpreting with mime and gestures. The improvised dialogues by the actor-dancer expand the content of the songs. It changes from one stage to another. The movements are energetic and full of life.

“Mango leaves flowers, plantain leaves and colored paper provides a festive yet simple decoration. The dancer goes in among the audience with a burning torch. The chief musician sings and plays the maddalam another shruthi to keep the under lying pitch necessary to guide the singer. Another drummer accompanies on chenda and a cymbal player keeps the taala” said Venkatarama Bhatt.
“The musicians themselves on a table at the back centre stage. The performer often rest them on the space provided on the table. The makeup is simple and not intricate. THE COSTUME IS COLORFUL and not elaborate. A strong white line is drawn on the face following the contours of the cheek bones and the beard line of the chin. All the areas are painted in peach. The eyes and eye brows are emphasized. Lips are painted red.
The head dress is a semicircular crown frame. Its shape varies according to the character” said Padmanabha who performed the role of Devendra.
The interesting part however is the skirt. It is made of patches of red, pink and yellow with plenty of frills reaching up to the knees.
Yakshgana deals with the dilemma and conflicts of war. SOUmya and raudra are the two main characters. To evoke th element of comedy a clown appears in between. The dancer makes stray impromptu comments about the character. It requires 2 years to learn this art. The music is not purely classical.

Now women have come forward to learn this art. Like Vallathol who revived Kathakali and Mohiniyattam it was DR.SIVARAMA KARANTH who took steps to revive Yakshagana. It was on the verge of extinction. He was the foremost authority in this art and was working on it since 1930. He could collect manuscripts dating back to 1651. He traced the changing trends in the performance. His work Yakshagana Bayalatha published in 1958 is very popular.