YAKSHAGANA

About: 

• What is it? Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form.
  
  
• Name: Yakshagana literally means the song (gana) of the yaksha (nature spirits).
  
  
• Region: It developed in Udupi, in the state of Karnataka. It is popular in the Karnataka districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Shimoga .
  
  
• Background: This folk art is believed to have originated somewhere in between the 10th and 16th century.
  
  
• Theme: Yakshagana is strongly influenced by the Vaishnava Bhakti movement. Its stories are mainly drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other Hindu epics.
  
  
• Key Features:
  • A typical Yakshagana performance consists of background music played by a group of musicians (known as the himmela); and a dance and dialog group (known as the mummela), who together enact poetic epics on stage.
    
    
  • Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
    
    
  
  
  
• Types:
  • The tenkutittu style: It is prevalent in Dakshina Kannada. Tenkutittu is noted for its incredible dance steps; its high flying dance moves; and its extravagant rakshasas (demons).
    
    
  • The Badagutittu style: It is prevalent in Uttara Kannada District and places more emphasis on facial expressions, matugarike (dialogues), and dances appropriate for the character depicted in the episode.