---Kettuvallam

-- Motor Launch

-- Chinese Fishing

-- Society

-- Village Procession

-- Coir

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-- Kochi (Cochin)

-- Dance

-- Kovalam

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-- Copyright © Don Douglas
-- http://www.dondouglas.com

It would sound self-evident to say that India is a great place to go to see traditional Indian dance and hear its music. However, the same statement would be less true of some other Asian countries where musical tastes tend more toward the contemporary western music heard around the world. Indians revere their old culture and keep its old arts alive. Above left is the highly ritualized kathakali dance which tells stories from the Ramayana and Mahabarata. Performances begin with the application of elaborate makeup which is based in traditional Ayurvedic herbalism. To the right are mohiniattam (above) and bharatanatyam, beautiful dance forms with bells around the ankles to accentuate the rhythm of the mringdangam player while delicate hand movements to give shape to the classical vocal melodies. Kathakali is performed on schedule in certain theaters; the other forms of dance, by contrast, might be seen wherever and whenever there are festivities.