Yakshagana is a traditional stage performance and semi-classical Indian dance drama that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up and stage technique, originating in the coastal regions of Karnataka and Kerala and believed to have evolved from proto-classical music and Sanskrit theatre during the period of the Bhakti movement. Two regional styles exist, the southern Thenku thittu, performed from Dakshina Kannada to Kasaragod, and the northern Badaga thittu, performed from Udupi to Uttara Kannada, with traditional performances running from dusk until dawn and drawing their narratives from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata.
Facts
Place of OriginCoastal Karnataka, India (the Tulunadu region, including Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts), and Kasaragod district in Kerala 1 Notable ExampleSougandhika Parinaya, a Yakshagana prasanga (composition) by Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar 1 Defining TraitA traditional dusk-to-dawn dance drama in which the dance, music and dialogue are largely improvised, combined with elaborate costume, makeup and stage technique 1 FAQs
What does the name Yakshagana mean?
It means the song of the yaksha, the nature spirits.
Yakshagāna literally means the song (gāna) of the yaksha, which are nature spirits. Yakshagana is the scholastic name in Kannada and Tulu, used for the last 200 years, for art forms formerly known as āṭa, kēḷike, bayalāṭa and daśāvatāra. A performance of the play is itself called āṭa.
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Source Yakshagana (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Yakshagana (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first sentence
found in Tulunadu (Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod district and Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts) in Karnataka and Kasaragod district in Kerala
Lead section, second sentence
combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, makeup, and stage techniques with a unique style and form
Notable plays section
Sougandhika Parinaya, a composition by Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar
In Group: Folk and Regional Theatre Traditions, Lead paragraph
Yakshagana is a traditional stage performance and semi-classical Indian dance, drama, found in Tulunadu
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