Kathakali is a popular dance form prevalent in which state?

There are eight Indian classical dance forms -

• Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Odissi (Odisha), Sattriya (Assam), and Mohiniyattam (Kerala).

Kathakali

• The name of the dance form is the summation of two distinct words 'Katha' (story) and 'Kali' (art and performance).
• It is an Indian classical dance form in which the artists communicate a story to their audience through excellent facial expressions, gestures, and footwork.
• The special features of this dance form are - vivid makeup, unique costumes, and the dance movements that reflect the age-old martial arts and athletic conventions prevalent in Kerala and surrounding regions.
• The costumes and makeup is worn by an artist signifies the character he is depicting, as each type of character has a distinct makeup code in Kathakali and the classification of characters reflects the three 'gunas' namely 'sattva' (goodness, virtuous, harmonious, constructive), 'rajas' (passion, egoistic, dynamic, action, aimless), and 'tamas' (darkness, viciousness, chaotic, destructive).
• The seven makeup codes of Kathakali are - 'Pacca’ (green), ‘Minukku’, ‘Teppu’, ‘Kari’ (black), ‘Tati’, ‘Payuppu’ (ripe), and ‘Katti’ (knife).
• Music plays an important role in the Kathakali dance form. The three major drums used are namely ‘Itaykka’, ‘Centa’, and ‘Maddalam'.
• Unlike the other Indian classical dances which predominantly developed in Hindu temples and monastic schools, this dance form developed in courts and theatres of Hindu regions.