koothu is a solo
performance comprising acting and dancing and developed as part of the ancient
tradition of Kerala's Sanskrit theatre koodiyattam.
All the characters of the story will be enacted by one person to the accompaniment
of the mizhavu played by the Nambiar , the male
members of a drummer sub-caste of temple dwellers and the kuzhithalam
(cymbals) played by the Nangiar, the female members
of this community.
As the name indicates, Nangiar koothu is performed by a
woman of the Nambiar community.
With the founding of the Ammanur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam
(Training centre for kutiyattam) in 1982 in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, by Padmasree Ammanur Madhava Chakyar, the last of the outstanding
kutiyattam guru like Parameshwar Chakyar
and Mani Madhava Chakyar, the revival of Nangiar koothu
as the only artform of women in Kerala was taken up, too.
Once revived, Nangiar koothu gained popularity within no
time.
Usha Nangiar was among those
trained under Guru Ammanur, and her outstanding performances have contributed
to the fame that her name has almost become
synonymous with this art form.
The visual impressions gained during Usha Nangiars performance
of Akruragamanam within the 16th Kutiyattam festival of the
Ammanur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam on January
8th, 2003, at Natana Kairali ( Research and performing centre
for Traditional Arts), Irinjalakuda, Kerala, are presented within this web
site.
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