Traditional Yakshagana takes online stage tomorrow

MANGALURU: Yakshagana artists draped in dazzling costumes and colourful headgear are a sight to behold as they pirouette and sashay across the stage. The Covid pandemic has left aficiaonados yearning for their favourite art form. Like pretty much everyone else now, artists are all set to take the show online.
The Yaksha Dhruva Patla Foundation has conceptualised the online version of Yakshagana talamaddale saptaha which goes live on Monday. More than 40 veterans of this art form will come together on a single platform to regale connoisseurs. Artistes, not more than three or four at a time, will take on others in telling a tale and their showdown will be on FacebookLive and YouTube from 4pm to 6pm
The foundation's founder president Patla Satish Shetty said leading lights in talamaddale have been roped in for this experiment. While you can go to YouTube or other media such as CDs to catch past performance of these artists, seeing them perform live is an altogether different experience. "Live performance has a charm that's missing in recorded or edited performances," Shetty, an eminent bhagawatha himself, told STOI.
Information about the event is being widely shared on WhatsApp groups whose members are keen followers of Yakshagana.
The foundation is toying with the idea of hosting live time-bound Yakshagana performances using a small ensemble of characters and crew. It now appears that live shows may not be possible for the next few months. Such a long break is not good for artists as regular performances are necessary to hone their skill, he said, adding that even ardent viewers may get tired of waiting for shows to resume and turn to other art forms.