Theyyam-A ritualistic Performing Dance Art form of Kerala
It was a great opportunity to watch the live performance of Theyyam in God's own land-Kerala State along with other Research scholars from around the world during the Centre for Performance Research and Cultural Studies in South Asia-C PRACSIS International conference ‘Body, Space, and Technology in Performance’ organized by D r. C.S Biju at Trissur, Kerala in 2010. ‘Theyyam’ is a famous ritual art form that originated in North Kerala and brings to life the great stories of our State. It encompasses dance, mime, and music. It exalts the beliefs of the ancient tribals who gave a lot of importance to the worship of heroes and the spirits of their ancestors. The term Theyyam is a distorted form of 'Dhaivam' or God. It is a rare combination of dance and music and reflects important features of a tribal cultural dance as a whole. This folk dance is believed to be a divine expression and the local residents of Kerala invoke the blessings of God through this dance form. This...