Southern India has a rich tradition of Indian classical dance, apart from regional folk dances. The folk dancers wear their colourful ethnic costumes. The three classical dance forms, among the six main classical dance forms of India, Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi and Kathakali are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively.
Bharat Natyam (Tamil Naidu) is the oldest classical dance. It derives its name from Bharat Muni, who wrote the Natya Shastra, a treatise on dance, music, stage-setting, poetry, costumes and make-up. In this dance form the dancer is usually a woman. The dancer's costumes consist of a brocade sari.Neatly arranged brocade pleats hang in the middle from the waist to the knees, with a choli covering the upper part of the body, jewellery, and the veni (floral garland) adorning the dancer's hair.
Kuchipudi, a dance-drama of Andhra Pradesh, can be traced back to the times of the Satavahana kings of the 2nd century BC. The costume consists of a brocade sari and choli for the female dancer, while men wear silk dhotis and lots of jewellery such as necklaces, earrings, bajubands, bangles, anklets and rings.
Kathakali represent India's ancient tradition of enacted and sung dramas. The elaborate costume, the mask make-up and the gorgeous crowns are reminiscent of its folk traditions. The costume consists of plated, billowing white skirts, long-sleeved tunics with red, ornamented breast-plates, and yards of cloth garlands ending in rosettes.
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