Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A snippet from 'Where the gods give up caste'

A snippet from 'Where the gods give up caste' from Floating Weeds on Vimeo.



Theyyam is an ancient ritual-dance from North Kerala. Older, more spectacular and more socially relevant than the famous Kathakali.

'Theyyam', comes from 'deivam', Malayalam for god. Theyyam is traditionally performed by the lowest castes. When the performer dons the Theyyam costume, he transforms into a representation of god. In ancient Kerala, Theyyam was the only way the suppressed could rise above and question the caste and feudal systems.

'Where The Gods Give Up Caste', is a personal tribute to this ancient ritual and to all the Theyyam artistes of North Kerala.