Elizabeth Wichmann (1991). Listening to Theatre: The Aural Dimension of Beijing Opera. University of Hawaii Press. pp.1–5. ISBN 978-0-8248-1221-8.

a b Farley P. Richmond; Darius L. Swann; Phillip B. Zarrilli (1993). Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. Motilal Banarsidass. pp.95–96. ISBN 978-81-208-0981-9. Richard Schechner; Willa Appel (25 May 1990). By Means of Performance: Intercultural Studies of Theatre and Ritual. Cambridge University Press. pp.131–132, 142–143. ISBN 978-1-316-58330-2.J. Harding; C. Rosenthal (2011). The Rise of Performance Studies: Rethinking Richard Schechner's Broad Spectrum. Palgrave Macmillan. p.178. ISBN 978-0-230-30605-9. The theory and foundations of Kathakali are same as other major classical Indian dances, traceable to Sanskrit texts such as the Natya Shastra, but the expression style in each is very different and distinctive. [4] Kathakali is different from a similar-sounding Kathak, though both are Indian classical dance traditions of "story play" wherein the stories have been traditionally derived from the Hindu epics and the Puranas. Kathak is an ancient performance art that emerged in North India, with roots in traveling bards retelling mythical and spiritual stories through dance-acting. [9] [75] Kathak traditionally has included female actor-dancers, unlike Kathakali which has traditionally been performed by an all-male troupe. [3] [76] Kathak deploys much simpler costumes, makeup and no face masks. Both dance forms employ choreography, face and hand gestures traceable to the Natya Shastra, but Kathak generally moves around a straight leg and torso movements, with no martial art leaps and jumps like Kathakali. Kathak uses the stage space more, and does not typically include separate vocalists. Both deploy a host of similar traditional Indian musical instruments. [3] [77] N Pani (2009), Hinduism, in Handbook of Economics and Ethics (Editors: Jan Peil and Irene Staveren), Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-1-84542-936-2, 216-221 Martin Banham (1995). The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press. pp. 522–525. ISBN 978-0-521-43437-9. A Kathakali performance typically starts with artists tuning their instruments and warming up with beats, signalling to the arriving audience that the artists are getting ready and the preparations are on. The repertoire includes a series of performances. First comes the Thodayam and Purappadu performances, which are preliminary 'pure' (abstract) dances that emphasize skill and pure motion. [51] Thodayam is performed behind a curtain and without all the costumes, while Purappadu is performed without the curtain and in full costumes. [51]

Despite the links, Kathakali is different from temple-driven arts such as "Krishnanattam", Kutiyattam and others because unlike the older arts where the dancer-actor also had to be the vocal artist, Kathakali separated these roles allowing the dancer-actor to excel in and focus on choreography while the vocal artists focused on delivering their lines. [24] Kathakali also expanded the performance repertoire, style and standardized the costume making it easier for the audience to understand the various performances and new plays. [24] Repertoire [ edit ] Williams 2004, pp.83–84, the other nine are: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Cchau, Satriya, Yaksagana and Bhagavata Mela. Janelle G. Reinelt; Joseph R. Roach (2007). Critical Theory and Performance. University of Michigan Press. pp.110–111. ISBN 978-0-472-06886-9. Farley P. Richmond; Darius L. Swann; Phillip B. Zarrilli (1993). Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. Motilal Banarsidass. p.327. ISBN 978-81-208-0981-9. Farley P. Richmond; Darius L. Swann; Phillip B. Zarrilli (1993). Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. Motilal Banarsidass. p.87. ISBN 978-81-208-0981-9.a b c d e f g h i j k l m Peter J. Claus; Sarah Diamond; Margaret Ann Mills (2003). South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp.332–333. ISBN 978-0-415-93919-5. Emmie Te Nijenhuis (1974). Indian Music: History and Structure. BRILL Academic. ISBN 90-04-03978-3. The story is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (mudras), facial expressions (rasas) and body movements - there are 24 basic mudras. Some characters adorn their left fingers with long steel or silver nails to enhance the clarity of the hand gestures a b Daugherty, Diane (2005). "The Pendulum of Intercultural Performance: Kathakalī King Lear at Shakespeare's Globe". Asian Theatre Journal. Johns Hopkins University Press. 22 (1): 52–72. doi: 10.1353/atj.2005.0004. S2CID 161340863. Phillip Zarrilli (2000), Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-203-19766-0