Kathakali gets a Spanish Flamenco twist for 'Draupadi' ballet

Kerala-based stage artists have teamed up with Spanish dancers for a dance ballet, which is a feminist take on Draupadi from the epic Mahabharata.
The hour-long performance that incorporates the classical dance forms of Kathakali and Flamenco is scheduled to be hosted here on November 6 by Kerala Tourism as part of the state's formation day celebrations that began on November 1.
The production titled 'Draupadi' brings together the ideas of Madrid-based director Cesar Lorente Raton and his team comprising a compatriot ballerina besides half-a-dozen artistes.
Raton, who has been artistically cooperating with Kerala Tourism since 2004 says love, hate, anger are all universal feelings. "The Mahabharata has many such stories," he says.

"I took one episode that I had seen being performed in Kathakali and used it to express my concern about horrific crimes and abuse against women in all parts of the planet" he says.
Renowned Spanish danseuse Bettina Castano essays the role of Draupadi, the wife of five Pandava brothers in the epic.

Stage artists from Kerala Bijulal N Narayana Pillai and Biju Kumar Gopalan Nair are accompanied by Sumesh Gopalan on the chenda and Rajeev Nalinakshan on the maddalam besides Juan Gotan and Jesus Garrido on the guitar.
Pop-star Suneeta Rao and singer Radakrishnan Nanu have lent their voice to the performance.

"Cesar notes that Draupadi in the Vyasa classic was made into a commodity to be pawned during a gamble by her husband. She is later being humiliated in public. It shows how women were treated as objects as far back as 3,000 years ago. I chose this story, as it is a universal theme, which anyone can relate to," says Raton.
The director says a fellow theatre personality in Spain had suggested giving a contemporary twist to Kathakali.
"I worked on the idea for almost a year before Kathakali met Flamenco on stage," he adds.