Kathakali

"Provides a clear guide to Kathakali, exploring the origin, evolution and characteristics of the form today and the ways it has adapted for a 21st-century audience. This introduction to this mode of dance drama traces the distinctive features of Kathakali - which is sometimes tightly structured with fixed conventions and sometimes fluid enough to incorporate flights of fancy. It charts how the form has changed over the centuries and assesses its cultural legacy today. It also includes translations of extracts from poems, plays and performance manuals, as well as interviews with actors and cultural historians"--