Who among the following was popularly called the ‘Australian Mother of Kathakali’?

The correct answer is Louise Lightfoot.

Key Points

• Louise Lightfoot was an Australian dancer, choreographer, and dance historian, born in Sydney in 1902.
• She is best known for her work as a pioneer of modern dance in Australia, and for her contributions to the development of dance as an academic discipline.
• Lightfoot studied dance in Europe and the United States, where she trained with some of the leading figures of modern dance, including Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey.
• In 1936, she founded the New South Wales Ballet Company, which was the first professional ballet company in Australia.
• Lightfoot was also a respected dance critic and historian, and wrote several books and articles on the history and theory of dance.
• She was popularly called the ‘Australian Mother of Kathakali’

Additional Information

• Kathakali is a classical Indian dance form which is a story play genre of art is the folk dance form of Kerala.
• It is a combination of 5 forms of fine art which are –
  • Natyam (expressions)
  • Nritham (dance)
  • Nrithyam (enactment) 
  • Sangeetam (music)
  • Vadya (instruments)
• Various costumes of characters of Kathakali –
  • Sathwika (Hero)
  • Katti (Villain)
  • Minukku (females)
  • Thathi (other characters)
• Types of Drums used in Kathakali – Maddalam, Chenda, and Idakka
• Kathakali is the most difficult style of the traditional dance form in which actors speak ‘sign language’ where hand gestures are used to dictate word part of the character and facial and eye movements express emotions and mood.
• Kathakali is based on the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. ​

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