Sphoorthi Theatre

Somana Kunitha or Soma kunitha - the 'Mask dance,' is a traditional folk art form from Southern Karnataka that serves as a kind of spirit worship. It conveys a profound message about the ancient village deities of Karnataka. Somas means Masks and Kunitha means dance. Somas are considered as the guardian angels or the body guards serving the feminine deity/ies of the villages. These entities are generally distinguished by two colours - the red one known as Kencha Raya and the yellow one known as Bootha Raya. Kenhcaraya serves as the divine protector of Lord Vishnu, and so, offerings of lamb and other animals are presented to pacify him. However, it is important to note that Booth Raya cannot be appeased through any form of slaughtering. The masks, which symbolize the protective angels, are crafted through a series of traditional procedures and then paraded in a procession. The two factions of celestial guardians also symbolize the devout followers of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishn...

 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...