A classical Kerala dance-drama judged on its elaborate costume, its codified storytelling gestures and its command of the classical performance tradition.
Kathakali is a classical Kerala dance-drama built from an elaborate costume and face make-up (vesham) specific to the character portrayed, a vocabulary of codified hand gestures (mudras) and facial expression used to enact a story, and live vocal and percussion accompaniment that sets the pace of the performance. As a competition item it scores the performer’s own command of that full tradition, and is catalogued separately from Kathakali Sangeetham, which scores only the solo vocal singing that accompanies a Kathakali performance, and from Kathakali – Group, a distinct Team item for performers enacting a scene together.
A round is judged against the syllabus’s own printed criteria: Make-up and costume (Aaharyam), Enactment (Cholliyattam) and Classical knowledge (Shastreeya Parijnanam), with Enactment carrying the largest single share of the marks. The performer typically prepares one scene or segment rather than a complete play, since the competition runs to a fixed time slot rather than a full Kathakali performance’s usual length.
Preparing an entry means settling the character and vesham being portrayed, getting that costume and make-up right, and rehearsing the mudras, facial expression and movement that carry the story, together with whatever vocal and percussion accompaniment will be used on the day.
Organisers run it to give this specific, demanding classical tradition its own dedicated slot, distinct from the platform’s other named classical dance items (Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi) and from the separate vocal-only and group items that share the Kathakali name.
Where Kathakali comes from
Kathakali is one of Kerala’s major classical performing arts, generally dated to the 17th century, and is understood to have developed from earlier Kerala temple and ritual performance traditions. Its distinctive vocabulary of costume, make-up and codified gesture is what the competition item still scores today.
Where Kathakali is run
Kerala’s own state school Kalolsavam syllabus (identically on both eTalenter’s section-by-section kalolsavam-arts-festival template and the combined kalolsavam-all-sections template) runs Kathakali only from its third school-class category upward, split into separate Male and Female competitions, on a 15-minute slot with the warning bell at the 14-minute mark, scored out of 100 against the syllabus’s own printed criteria. The University of Kerala’s own official youth festival rules run it at the collegiate “Students” level, also split into separate Male and Female competitions on a 15-minute slot and scored out of 100, though without a pre-set warning bell. Mahatma Gandhi University’s own Kalotsavam instead runs a single mixed Both-gender competition at its own “Students” level, on the same 15-minute/scored-out-of-100 pattern.
- Kerala, India
Key facts
- Individual competition — no Team version under this item; a separate Team item, “Kathakali – Group”, exists for performers enacting a scene together
- Scored out of 100 against 3 official criteria in every real source in this dataset
- On the Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus it is offered only from the third school-class category upward — not the full age span the way several other items on this platform are
- Split into separate Male and Female competitions on the Kerala school syllabus and on the University of Kerala’s own youth festival; Mahatma Gandhi University’s own Kalotsavam instead runs one mixed competition
- 15-minute time limit in every real source; the Kerala school syllabus sets the warning bell at the 14-minute mark
- Language is left open (Any/NA) in every source — the item is judged on costume, gesture and classical technique, not spoken language
On eTalenter, Kathakali is filed under Classical Dance, On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 4 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Kathakali is most often entered as an Individual competition, commonly run for Female, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 15 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Kathakali
What a Kathakali panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Make-up and costume (Aaharyam) — 30 marks: correctness and quality of the traditional vesham for the character being portrayed
- Enactment (Cholliyattam) — 40 marks, the largest single share: storytelling carried through the codified hand gestures (mudras), facial expression and movement
- Classical knowledge (Shastreeya Parijnanam) — 30 marks: command of Kathakali’s own classical technique and performance tradition
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Kathakali under Scoring Setup, or start from the full classical dance judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Kathakali
How entrants and their teachers usually get Kathakali right on the day:
- Settle the character and vesham being portrayed early, and get that specific costume and make-up correct, since Make-up and costume is scored as its own 30-mark criterion separate from the performance itself
- Choose a scene or segment that gives clear scope to show mudras, facial expression and movement, since Enactment carries the largest single share of the marks (40 of 100)
- Study the classical conventions and repertoire for the chosen piece in depth, since Classical knowledge is judged as its own criterion, not folded into the performance mark
- Arrange and rehearse with the vocal and percussion accompaniment that will actually be used on the day, since it sets the pace the performance is judged against
- Time the full run-through against the 15-minute limit, including the warning-bell point where the event sets one
- Confirm with the organiser whether the event runs separate Male/Female competitions or one mixed competition, and from which age category it is offered, since both vary between the sources in this dataset
Ready-made event templates that include Kathakali
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerala Kalolsavam – All Sections | On Stage | Marks | 4 |
| Kerala School Kalolsavam | On Stage | Marks | 4 |
| Kerala University Youth Festival | Classical Dance | Marks | 2 |
| MG University Inter Collegiate Youth Festival | Classical Dance | Marks | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kathakali judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, commonly for Female, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is Kathakali judged individually or as a team?
Individually, under this item. A separate Team item, “Kathakali – Group”, exists on the same syllabus for performers enacting a scene together.
Is Kathakali the same competition as Kathakali Sangeetham?
No. Kathakali Sangeetham scores only the solo vocal singing tradition that accompanies a Kathakali performance. This item scores the full dance-drama performance itself — costume, make-up, gesture and enactment.
Are boys and girls judged separately?
It depends on the event. The Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus and the University of Kerala’s own youth festival both run separate Male and Female competitions. Mahatma Gandhi University’s own Kalotsavam instead runs one mixed competition.
What age groups can enter Kathakali?
On the Kerala school Kalolsavam syllabus, only the two oldest school-class categories — it is not offered at the younger categories. University-level sources in this dataset run it only at their collegiate “Students” level.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full classical dance judging criteria guide, or browse every classical dance competition item.
Try Kathakali in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Kathakali, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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