Kuchipuḍī's codified language of gestures and the techniques of human movement are known to different regions of lndia. No one treatise can be considered as the base for the grammar of the dance style. Nevertheless, there is great relevance of the texts, such as the Nṛtta Ratnāvalī for Kuchipuḍī. The history and the textual sources provide the link of continuity for the contemporary, almost modern reinterpretation of Kuchipuḍī through the female form during the last two or three decades. The problem of transferring a technique which was evolved for the male body to impersonate female, to be articulated again through the female, presents complex kinesthetical problems. These are the challenges which a Kuchipuḍī dancer faces, meets and overcomes in a successful performance.

This volume puts together the corpus of the codified text, supplemented with a brief history. It, no doubt, gives guidance to those pursuing Kuchipuḍī as practitioners and performers of this style.

• Foreword
• Glimpses of Content