Dr. Ettumanoor P. Kannan is an academician, researcher, Kathakali performer and trainer.
As the Director of SNA Kutiyattam Kendra, Dr. Kannan has planned and proposed yearly activities for the promotion of Kutiyattam. He directed five Kutiyattam institutions in developing their curriculum and administration. He prepared the agenda, convened the advisory committee meetings, convinced the members and later implemented the approved yearly activities. He communicated effectively to influence the senior colleagues at the head office and participated as an active member of executive committees. He has designed various schemes to support the Kutiyattam artists and executed various projects within time frame.
As the Director of Nila Campus, Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University, Dr. Kannan conducted 14 MA courses, two MPhil courses and Ph.D. programs in art subjects. His contribution in preparing MA/MPhil syllabus for all these traditional art forms and conducting classes with a far-sighted vision, is remarkable. For the first time in history, PhD students got registered in the subjects of Mizhavu and Krishnanattam under his guidance.
Dr. Kannan conducts Kathakali theatre workshops for foreign students as part of his engagement with the Theatre Department of New York University. Dr. Kannan is able to explain the nuances of Kutiyattam and Kathakali to foreign scholars, facing their questions, understanding the exact sense and satisfying them with right answers.
Dr. Kannan has developed a system to train the youngsters in character formation called Mind Awareness and Management. He has incorporated the lessons from Bhagavad Gita and Yogasutra in it. He is also conducting corporate facilitation sessions on the basis of Mind Awareness and Management.
Dr. Kannan has published a number of articles on various subjects in both English and Malayalam.
Skills:
Organizer, orator, facilitator and teacher.
Researcher and writer. (Currently guiding PhD students in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University.)
Traditional Kathakali Performer.
Scholar in Indian Cultural subjects like Yogasutra, Natyasastra etc.
Conducts workshops for youngsters on “Mind Awareness and Management”. (Training and Facilitation based on Bhagavad Gita and Yogasutra)
Conducts Kathakali Theatre workshops for foreign students in Kerala.
Conducted theatre workshops in foreign countries.
Directed contemporary theatre productions (Drama) both in India and the US.
Scripted and directed video documentaries on Kathakali and other art forms.
Work profile
SNA Kutiyattam Kendra: Dr. Kannan works as the Director of SNA Kutiyattam Kendra, a regional center of Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, which works for the promotion of Kuiyattam. (From 2017 onwards) The three-year term ends in December 2019.
Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University: Dr. Kannan was the first coordinator of MA courses in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University in 2007. Later he joined Kalamandalam as Seminar coordinator in 2013. From 2014, he was appointed as the Director of Nila Campus (MA/MPhil campus). He is guiding PhD scholars in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University.
University of Kerala: Dr. Kannan worked as a field researcher at International Centre for Kerala Studies, University of Kerala from 1998 to 2012. He has done a number of video documentations and prepared eight monographs on various subjects.
University of California, Los Angeles: Dr. Kannan participated in cultural exchange program called APPEX-2000 in Centre for Intercultural Performance at UCLA, in 2000. He continued working and instructing there during Art of Rice Travelling Theatre program, until 2004.
He is a visiting faculty member of National School of Drama, New Delhi.
He is a guest artiste at Theatre Department, New York University.
Director and academic coordinator
Dr. Kannan was the first coordinator of MA courses in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University (KKMDU). He coordinated three MA courses initially in Kathakali, Kutiyattam and Mohiniyattam. Later when he was seminar coordinator in KKMDU, he started conducting seminars and workshops in all BA/MA courses. He coordinated 14 MA courses and two MPhil courses while he was the Director of the higher studies campus (Nila Campus) of KKMDU.
Dr. Kannan has the experience of directing the administrative works when he was the Director of Nila Campus, KKMDU (2 years) and the Director of SNA Kutiyattam Kendra (3years).
Teacher, Researcher & Guide
Dr. Kannan’s Lectures of Natyasastra and Yogasutra are well attended. His articles and monographs are read with great interest by the scholars. His MPhil thesis on Semiotic analysis on body language of Kathakali is considered the best one in its kind. His PhD thesis is the pioneer work in the field of Kathakali theatre.
Kathakali Performer
Dr. Kannan has been performing traditional Kathakali in different cities of India since 1976 and abroad. He has completed his Kathakali Theatre training for 22 years in traditional style from great masters. He now is a well known Kathakali theatre performer/researcher/trainer. Dr.Kannan has, over the years, proved that he can handle traditional and contemporary work with equal ease and competence. Kannan, an artist par excellence, his stage performances are always adjudged by the media as visual treats. His contemporary works are remarkable. He can understand deeply the theatrical concepts which are the basis of traditional theatre and can adapt it creatively through his contemporary works. The occasions when he works with students for new theatre productions/experiments, they experience elated themselves to a world of new knowledge and vision, which is deeply rooted in the philosophy of the tradition. He has choreographed and acted in several new Kathakali plays.
Theatre workshops
Dr. Kannan teaches students from India and abroad the theories in Natyashastra, theatrical concepts involved in traditional kathakali and guide students in higher education/research. and has conducted hand gesture language workshops for theatre goers. He is teaching workshops for dancers and theatre persons in different cities in India. He has been conducting International Kathakali Theatre Workshops every year from 2001. He regularly conducts workshops for Theatre Department, New York University.
Theatre productions
Dr. Kannan could carry abroad his passion for Kathakali with ease and grace. His one actor presentations of Macbeth and Ramayana in Los Angeles in 1998 had earned him a lot of praises abroad. He participated in a theatre workshop “Asia Pacific Performance Exchange” conducted by University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000 where he lived with other 25 theatre persons from different parts of the world. This gave him a chance to learn more about modern and post modern theatre movements in the west. He had created a post-modern theatre piece “Voices” collaborating with Ms. Josefina Baez and Ms. Denise Uyehara and created a drama on Oedipus story collaborating with Mr.Peng (China) and Ms. Cheng chey yu (USA) in 2000. He also directed and performed as Macbeth in a theatre production by ‘Dog & Pony Show’ in Pittsburgh in December 2001. He has collaborated with Ms Sreyashi Dey, an Odissy dancer, for creating a widely accepted performance of Tagore’s play “Karna and Kunti” in 2002. He has traveled through Indonesia, Hawaii and California with 11 artistes from all over the world, for “ART OF RICE Traveling Theatre” sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles in August-Oct 2003.
Cholliyattam Performer
Dr. Kannan has choreographed Cholliyaattam performances based on traditional Kathakali style of acting, but without its elaborate Make-up and costumes. This has attracted the audiences from outside Kerala who are not really traditional Kathakali audience. Non-linear Nalacharitham (based on Nalacharitham Kathakali play in 2010) and Macbeth Cholliyaattam (based on the tragedy of Macbeth in Shakespearian play, in 2013) are two examples. He has re-choreographed the Balivadham Kathakali in Cholliyaattam form and presented at Music Academy hall, Chennai on 11th Jan 2015. He was in the roll of Bheeshma, in Cholliyaattam costumes, in the mega-production called ‘Ateet ki parichhaayiyaam’ (Mahabharatha re-told) directed by Guru Shama Bhate (Nad-rup, Pune) in which artistes from all classical art-forms of India participated, on 28th Feb 2015.
Mind Awareness management workshops
Dr. Kannan also conducts Character building courses for youngsters which include the philosophical and spiritual aspects of Yoga along with the theatre subjects. At Jeevaatma Foundation, he has developed a system called Mind Awareness and Management for the success and fulfillment of the growing generation.
Works on Documentaries
Dr. Kannan has written the screen play and acted in “AATTAPPERUMA”, a 2:30 hour long documentary on Kathakali for Doordarsan TV channel, Kerala in 2004. He has documented Kadammanitta Padayani, Kakkarissinatam and life-sketch of Kavalam Narayana Panikker.
Kathakali lecture demonstration for common people
Dr. Kannan presents lectures and demonstrations throughout the year in different parts of India. His lec-dems are well received by students as well as common people.
Festival Organizer
Dr. Kannan has the experience of organizing numberless mega-events and festivals of Kathakali and Kutiyattam.
Guinness World Record for his choreography
Natyotsavam, a performance of 150 Kathakali characters at Thiruvananthapuram on Feb 12th, 2011, choreographed by Dr. Kannan, bagged the Guinness World Record. This a historical achievement for Kathakali music and movements. It was a perfect Mega-show containing only Kerala style of music and Kathakali movements.
Academic qualifications
MA (Malayalam Language & Literature)
MPhil (Theatre Arts)
PhD (Dept. of Malayalam)
APPEX 2000 (Cultural Exchange program at University of California, Los Angeles)
Awards
First prizes for Kathakali in four State School Youth festival competitions from 1980 to 1983.
Kottakkal Krishnankutti Nair Endowment from PSV Natyasangham in 1992.
Manganam Rama Pisharodi Award from Kottayam Kaliyarangu in 2001.
Sudheer Yuva Puraskaaram 2002.
Guru Chengannoor Raman Pillai Award for best Kathakali actor in 2004.
Bhagavathar Kunjunni Thampuran Endowment from Kerala Kalamandalam in 2013.
Yuva Puraskar from Kerala Art Lovers Association, UK in 2015
