What I Changed after the First Presentation
Sunday, September 16, 2018
I decided to shorten the information at the beginning a bit due to my presentation being over 16 minutes in the first time. The overall quantity of details is also reduced in order to achieve a more coherent structure. During the revision, I focus much more on the theatre convention (Criteria B), which is Mudras in my case, and how I used sources to practically explore and practiced it. Hence, the Powerpoint now includes more pictures of myself exercising Kathakali mudras. I also want to explicitly point out important sources to prove that I was deeply involved in the process of researching the convention, using a wide variety of means. The Powerpoint also has more images/illustrations, along with less cramped words to make the presentation more comfortable and straightforward, which I hope will shift the audience's focus more towards me. The conclusion (Comparison + Personal Impact) was also updated, in which I compare Kathakali to only ONE other tradition (Khon Dance-Drama of Thailand) and intentionally concentrate on the Mudras convention of the two practices.
Regarding the presentation itself, my goal is to talk more clearly and confidently (which means more practice), avoiding interruptions. I also want to make my hand's movement more decisive while being elegant at the same time.
The presentation is two days away. Let's see how this goes...
Regarding the presentation itself, my goal is to talk more clearly and confidently (which means more practice), avoiding interruptions. I also want to make my hand's movement more decisive while being elegant at the same time.
The presentation is two days away. Let's see how this goes...
Starting Point - RP #1
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
For my World Theatre Tradition - Research Presentation, I chose to investigate Kathakali, a type of South Asian dance developed during the sixteenth and seventeenth century, particularly rigorous in Kerala State in South West India. I decided to study this tradition because of my interest in and the hope to make connections between Hinduism - a religion that I studied in Art History last year, and this indigenous dance/theatre.
During the first day of exploration, I watched many videos of people performing Kathakali and became even more interested in this type art. I found out that the dances are usually the narrations drama versions of episodes from the Indian epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) or puranas - encyclopedic collections of traditional stories and knowledge. According to an article from New World Encyclopedia, Kathakali is the combination of five artistic elements: Acting (facial expression), Mudras (hand gestures), Dance (movement of legs, hands and body), Music, and Painting and makeup.
I have also referenced two book: The Cambridge Guide to Theatre and Kathakali dance-drama: where gods and demons come to play; one of them was acquired from the University of Washington Library with the help of my instructor. From these two sources, I found out that Kathakali training process is long and arduous - 6 to 10 years - starting between age of 10 and 14. There are about 600 hand gestures and combinations, each conveying a unique intention and message from which the audience can know what is going on in the plot without the actors saying anything. I also found out that Kathakali, similar to Japanese noh and China’s jingju (Beijing Opera), has been performed throughout the world as part of government-sponsored international cultural exchange or through private initiative.
My next step is to look into how Kathakali affected Indian cultures and specifically Hindi communities. I also want to find a piece to apply my knowledge
to my moment of presenting the theatre.
During the first day of exploration, I watched many videos of people performing Kathakali and became even more interested in this type art. I found out that the dances are usually the narrations drama versions of episodes from the Indian epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) or puranas - encyclopedic collections of traditional stories and knowledge. According to an article from New World Encyclopedia, Kathakali is the combination of five artistic elements: Acting (facial expression), Mudras (hand gestures), Dance (movement of legs, hands and body), Music, and Painting and makeup.
I have also referenced two book: The Cambridge Guide to Theatre and Kathakali dance-drama: where gods and demons come to play; one of them was acquired from the University of Washington Library with the help of my instructor. From these two sources, I found out that Kathakali training process is long and arduous - 6 to 10 years - starting between age of 10 and 14. There are about 600 hand gestures and combinations, each conveying a unique intention and message from which the audience can know what is going on in the plot without the actors saying anything. I also found out that Kathakali, similar to Japanese noh and China’s jingju (Beijing Opera), has been performed throughout the world as part of government-sponsored international cultural exchange or through private initiative.
My next step is to look into how Kathakali affected Indian cultures and specifically Hindi communities. I also want to find a piece to apply my knowledge
to my moment of presenting the theatre.
