One of India’s most visually captivating dances, Kathakali, will be perfomed in four Egyptian cities during this month, August.
The nine-member troupe will give its first performance in Alexandria on 1 August as part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Summer Festival. This year’s festival, in its 14th year, is set to honour Indian art and culture.
From Alexandria, the Indian performers move to Port Said and Ismailiya on 3 and 4 August before concluding their Egyptian tour in Cairo on Saturday 6 August.
Kathakali is a complex art that combines dance, drama, literature, vocal and instrumental music and visual forms of art such as painting and sculpture. Characterised by the vibrant makeup and colourful costumes worn by the performers, Kathakali is one of the most visually dazzling stage performances coming from India.
Though Egyptian audiences are well acquainted with Indian arts, which they have seen presented through many different events, including the annual India by the Nile festival, Kathakali has not graced Egyptian stages for many years. The upcoming shows are therefore a rare opportunity to witness this unique traditional dance.
Watani International
1 August 2016