Origins of Ravana

October 11, 2014

Origins of Ravana was performed in Warner on October 11 to a spellbound audience. The performance was a kathakali dance-drama from southern India. The celebrated performer, Kalamandalam Shanmukhan, was assisted by Viswanath Kaladharan, costumer and makeup artist, and T.R. Sukumaran, dance connoisseur and translator. Kathakali, which means “story play,” is a form of performance that unites dance, drama, music, literature, and martial arts. The performer’s makeup requires four hours of preparation, and enhances his ability to tell the story with shrugs and hand gestures, eye and jowl movements, and myriad other subtle motions. Paula Richman ‘74, Oberlin’s William H. Danforth Professor of South Asian Religions, invited this troupe to Oberlin in 2010 and we were delighted that she brought them back again this fall.