Cultural Event from Kerala

[Guest guest]

Dear Siblings in Amma,

 

Sunday evening, October 17 at 7 PM at Zellerbach Hall at University

of California at Berkeley, there will be a performance of theyyam.

It's a spectacular traditional dance form from Kerala. In it, one

or more of the dancers goes into trance and, some say, is possessed

by the goddess. As the goddess, she/he can answer questions, and

otherwise straighten things out in the community. It is a dance

form / religious celebration of low caste people in the northeast

part of Kerala. As such it can have some fairly blunt critiques of

upper caste people. This performance is more likely to explore

man's search for God(dess) than social issues.

 

All the dancers are male but they "play" the goddess and other

necessary female characters. They also wear huge costumes and

perform dangerous feats.

 

See

http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents/season/2004/world_stage/eve

nts/gods.php

 

Anyone who is close by would be sure to have a memorable evening.

It also gives an idea of the religious spiritual context in which

Amma was born. After learning about theyyam, which is only one of

many forms of possession by a deity in Kerala, you will better

understand why people misunderstood what was going on when Amma

performed Krishna Bhava or Devi Bhava.

 

In amma's love,

Aikya