Capturing Kathakali: Performance capture, digital aesthetics, and the classical dance of India

Abstract

This paper is a case study of utilizing modern technology to tap into the kinesiology of Kathakali, one of India's eight classical dance forms. Kathakali is a highly stylized and opulent dance-drama that originated nearly five hundred years ago. Its performers draw from a vast dictionary of highly developed and sophisticated repertoire of gestures, expressions, and movements. Motion capture technology was employed to encapsulate the temporal, 3-dimensional positional data of a chosen Kathakali performance. The initial analysis of the acquired motion capture data of Kathakali has revealed several possibilities; from the technical, artistic as well as pedagogical point of views. By archiving a piece of a five-hundred-year-old tradition, and redeploying the acquired data, the author has successfully tapped into the tangible and intangible heritage of an ancient civilization. The acquired data is successfully being employed to drive a new age abstract animation film.