Kerala has a spectacular heritage of performing, ritual, folk and classical arts. The time - honored values lie dormant in the living traditions of these performing arts. The feudal chieftains and provincial landlords who patronized these visual and devotional arts for centuries were not only encouraging them as entertainments but were also upholding their moral and ethical messages.

Towards the close of the nineteenth century the traditional arts of Kerala were on the verge of extinction. The social, political and cultural factors which contributed to the downfall of the art forms are many and varied. This was but an ephemeral phenomenon. The dawn of the twentieth century witnessed a cultural renaissance all over India. In Kerala among those who spearheaded the cultural renaissance poet Vallathol Narayana Menon is an immortal name. Besides being an outstanding poet and scholar, Vallathol was a passionate lover of Kathakali and other similar classical dance-theatre traditions of Kerala

This spectacular classical dance drama of kerala based on the guidelines laid by sage bharatha's natya sastra, the ancient treatise on dance and drama, is over 500 years old. This elaborate art form is usually performed in the evenings and continues up to dawn, and is an integral part of all temple and cultural festivals in kerala. The costumes and makeup are ornamental, elaborate and designed to give a superhuman effect. The actors do not speak or sing but enact the story through mudras (hand gestures), graceful movements and facial expressions. The themes of this awe inspiring art are taken from india's rich and colourful mythology. Music is an essential feature of kathakali, with two vocalists who sing to the accompaniment of a chengila (gong), elathalam (small cymbals), chenda and maddalam.

It is believed to be india's oldest form of classical dance. This dance form which is called poetry in motion, has its hoary origins in the natya sastra written about 4000 b.c. by sage bharatha. This art form grossly disallows new fangled innovations or gimmicks except in repertoire and forms of presentation. It was originally known as 'dasi attam,' a temple art performed by young women called 'devadasis.'

Bharatha natyam is commonly performed by women, but sometimes by men also. There are strict guidelines laid down regarding every single aspect of the art including the attributes required in order to be an accomplished dancer.

This classical solo dance form combines the graceful elegance of bharatanatyam with the vigour and dynamism of kathakali, to create a mood that is predominantly sringara (erotic). The dance is usually performed on specially put up stages in connection with temple festivals. The costume is the traditional white mundu and melmundu of kerala. The hair is gathered and put up at the side of the head and adorned with jasmine, int the traditional style.

The make-up and costume of Mohiniyattam is simple and semi-realistic. The dancer's face is made up of yellow and pink-paste. She wears sandal colored, jerry - decorated jacket and waist garment. . Jasmin flowers adorn her tied up hair. Her eyes are blackened with collirium and lips reddened. The theme of Mohiniyattam is, in general, devotional love towards God, the eternal lover. Vishnu or Krishna is more often the hero. We feel his invisible presence when the heroine or her companion (sakhi) describes him through graceful laasya (feminine) type of dance involving delicate hand-gestures and circular, wave like body-movements. In the slow and medium tempos the dancer finds adequate space for improvisations and suggestive facial expressions. The invocation of Mohiniyattam is known as colkkettu. jatisvaram, varnam, padam and tillaana are the other items in a Mohiniyattam-recital. Varnam is the piece of de resistance in Mohiniyattam. Tillaana unfolds to the audience the dancer's rhythmic virtuosity. Padam focusses on abhinaya. Mridamgam, Violin and Edakka lend excellent support to the vocal music and to the visual rhythm of Mohiniyattam.

Like Mohiniyattam Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu and Kuchupudi of Andhra Pradesh are quite familiar to Keralites. They enjoy watching these dance-forms. Kalamandalam offers training in Bharatanatyam and Kuchupudi as subsidiary subjects.

Chakyarkoothu is one of the oldest classical arts of Kerala.A fine blend of social satire, mime and comedy, the Chakyarkoothu is usually presented in the traditional temple theatre Koothambalam or Koothupura. Today, you can witness a performance at venues like the Vadakkumnatha temple at Thrissur, Sri Krishna Swamy temple at Ambalappuzha , Kumaranalloor temple at Kottayam and Koodal Manickyam temple at Irinjalakkuda.

This solo performance by the Chakkiar (a community name for Koothu performers) who dons the role of the Vidushaka (jester) is accompanied by the Mizhavu - (a percussion instrument) and Ilathalam (cymbals). The performance begins with an invocation to the presiding deity of the temple. The narration is enlived with thandava (the cosmic dance of Lord Siva) dance movements, gestures and facial expressions according to the 2nd century B.C treatise on theatre, Natyasastra written by Sage Bharatha.

Through his inimitable narration of stories from the epics, the Chakkiar satirises the manners and customs of the time. No one is above the butt of his ridicule which varies from innocent mockery to veiled innuendoes, barbed puns and pungent invectives. Chakyarkoothu is also performed as part of Kootiyattam. The female members (Nangiars) of the Chakkiar community perform the Nangyarkoothu.

Thullal is a considerably simplified single-actor performing art that enjoyed much more popular appeal than Kathakali, the so called 'total theatre'. Kunchan Nambiar who lived in the 18th century composed dozens of tullal stories, adding to the literature of the local langu age, Malayalam, a new genre which consisted of narrative poetry replete with social criticism surcharged with pungent satire and sarcasm. These compositions were singularly suitable for presentation on the stage attracting even the unsophisticated illiterate through highly rhythmic recitation enlivened by closely accompanying percussion instruments and agile dance involving mono-act. Thullal has three varieties - Seethankan, Ottan and Parayan. The distinction between them lies mostly in the make-up and costumes and to some extent in the metres and the rhythm used. Thullal often reflects the literary, artistic and cultural life of the medieval Kerala. In Thullal, episodes from the Indian epics are retold in simple Malayalam couplets that are interconnected and resemble blank verse. The stylized singing of the lines carries with it the beauty of the dravidian meters. Thullal is a solo performance. As a semi-stylized dance-theatre, Thullal is a more popular entertainment than other temple arts. In the present day it has turned out to be an effective medium of even election-campaign. The performer establishes easy rapport with the audience through verbal acting which is full of humor and social references.