Facial make-up in Indian classical dances

Subashini Pathmanathan

Facial makeup is an important separate art form in any performance. The facial make up plays an important role in cinema, teledrama, stage drama, dance drama and different other fields.

Make-up brightens dancer’s movements

Any dance form whether it is classical, folk, ritual, or fusion dance form, the facial make up is a unique art for any dance. Every classical dance form has its own selective and unique style of facial make up. Even if it is traditional, classical, folk, ritual, creative, or fusion, without the help of the makeup artiste it is quite hard for any individual to put the facial makeup by their own. Facial make up for any traditional classical dance is not an easy task, as compared to other dance forms. For traditional classical dance forms have their own defined, unique and selective make up which are adopted.

For instance most Indian Classical dance forms have different types of facial make up. Bharatha Natyam, Kuchupidi, Mohini Attam and Odissi have almost similar type of make up. Kathakali’s facial make up is entirely different from other Indian classical dance forms, Similarly the North Indian Classical dance form and Kathak’s facial make up are quite different compared to other Indian dances. Kathak dance form adopts light make up rather than other South Indian dance forms. Like Kathak, the East Indian dance form Manipuri dance also adopts light make up.

The entire Indian classical dance forms belong to oriental dance forms. In the Eastern dance forms, the skin colour of the personalities also changes from one another. Some are fair, some are very fair and some are of whitish complexion. Some are yellowish complexion, some are dark brown complexion and some are light brown colour complexion. Similarly some are dark and some are of middle complexion.

Hence according to the skin colour the basic foundation is chosen. After the basic foundation is applied different combination of colours are selected and mixed up together to brighten the skin colour for the need and necessity.

Meanwhile the shape of the face also differs from one another. The structure of the face also differs. Some have square-shaped faces, round-shaped faces, long faces and oval-shaped faces. Even the shape of mouth, nose, eyes and eyebrows also differ from individual to individual. Sharpening the eyes by the black colour eyetex, and by the black eyebrow pencil, is an exceptional talent. Some dancers with small eyes are a very difficult task to do the eye make up.

For them, sharpening the eye and making the eyes bigger is important. Big eyes are very much needed to express the emotional expressions in dance. In Indian Classical Indian dances, the eye shadows are not used. Likewise even pasting the eyelashes, for the classical dances are not necessary or suitable. Such make up should not be used for the classical Bharatha Natyam recitals.

The eye make up is a very important aspect for the classical dance. Everybody’s eye shape differs from one another. Hence sharpening the eye according to the eye and face shapes also differ from one another.

Every Indian classical dance encourages facial make up

Similarly selecting and sharpening the lipstick colour is a unique and important art. Nowadays some make up artistes use the lip pencil to outline the lips. Outlining the lips by the lip pencil for a classical dance recital is not much needed or desired, because many of times the pencil out line is seen. Therefore it looks ugly. Always bright red colour lipstick is selected for the classical dance recitals to brighten the face.

Earlier for the Bharatha Natyam recitals the reddish blush and pink colour rouge were applied on cheeks. Such make up factors are avoided now, because sometimes it makes the face look swollen, or makes the jaw bones jutting out.

That is why the makeup artistes avoid maximum to use the rouge and the blush for Bharatha Natyam. Similarly the nose shape also differs from one another: some having sharp nose, some blunt nose and some long nose. For whatever the nose shape is, the nose ornaments such as Pillaku, Nathu and Nose studs cover the nose shape. Hence the nose shape is not obviously seen, and it is covered by the nose ornaments.

Selecting Pottu for the face depends on the shape of the individual face as well as the wish of the dancers. Some dancers like to have round shape Pottu, and some dancers like to have long shape Pottu. Facial make up for the small children are difficult as compared to the elder ones.

Meanwhile the eyebrow shape also differs from one another. Not only the eye brows differ from one another, but presently the youngsters, shape their eye brows as they wish.

Anyhow, the make up artistes try to shape the eye brows according to the facial features of the individual. Hence the facial makeup for the individuals in the Classical Bharatha Natyam is a unique and excellent artistic skill.

It is really regrettable that the service rendered by the makeup artistes which are very much needed for the dance field and unfortunately their service is not much recognized or taken into account by the present society.

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