Temple theatre
Kapila Venu says there wasn’t a single moment when she doubted that she was going to be a dancer. “Dance was an organic part of my growing up. In fact, I started learning the art when I was barely seven years old and have been performing since my late teens,” says the contemporary Kutiyattam expert from Kerala.
Growing up on a dance diet
“My mother, Nirmala Panicker, is an exponent of Mohiniyattom and my father, G Venu, is a Kutiyattam artiste himself and together they run a centre for the arts in Kerala,” says the danuse, “I was lucky enough to learn under the same guru who taught my father, Guru Ammanuur Madhava Chakya. He is one of the greatest Kutiyattam performers ever.”
Deciphering Kutiyattam
The focus of this ancient theatre is the long, elaborate and artistic interpretations of ancient Sanskrit texts. “Kutiyattam explores the beauty in the smallest details. A single act from a play can be stretched over 16 nights!” Though the traditional repertoire of texts are rich and numerous, Kapila enjoys experimenting with new plays. “My recent performance is of a full-length play from Kalidasa’s works and it is very personal to me,” she says.
Rare and precious
This obscure theatre form has silently survived for over 2000 years. “It is rare and precious and has always had a faithful, niche following,” says Kapila. “It’s not meant for popular, mass performance. It has a certain value and importance. Traditionally it is performed in temples with an audience of no more than 300, because each of them has to be able to see the actor clearly and feel a close connection with the performers.”
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