A heated argument is on between Vaali and Sugreev, eyebrows raised, faces contorted and lips twitching... the audience shudder as Vaali pounces on Sugreev. And as the act progresses, in the background plays the music whose words and tune though unfamiliar, still captivate you as it heightens the drama being performed. 44-year-old Laxminarayan Hegde, with his face painted in hues of red and jawline in yellow, throws his hands up in despair and the audience feels pity for a character that has been there since ages.

Loud as some connoisseurs of art prefer to describe a yakshagana performance, here is an artiste who explains how being elaborate with bhaavas blows life into the art form. Keremane Shivananda Hegde, yakshagana artiste and choreographer, who is in the city to perform with his troupe Shree Idagunji Mahaganpathi Yakshagana Mandali agrees, "Yakshagana is more elaborate in expressions, even more than kathakali, but that is what complements the musical element. Unless the expressions are elaborate enough to heighten the impact of the song, yakhshagana won't be effective."

The troupe performed at Delhi Public School, Kondhwa, yesterday as part of the Spic Macay cultural fest. Vaali Moksham — a prasanga from Ramayan was enacted by the troupe for the DPS students. The performance that lasted for more than an hour had 12 artistes depicting various layers of the epic. With a group of singers and another of actors, yakshagana, a blend of sur and abhinay unfolded the four layers of the natyashastra in front of the audience.

"For me, yakshagana testifies the existence and importance of four aspects of natyashastra -vachik (speech), angik (body movements), aharya (costume, make-up and scenic design) and sattivika (psychic states). A yakshagana performance is a perfect example of all aspects of natyashastra."

The troupe, which will perform at FTII today, emphasises the importance of make- up in a yakshagana performance. "The audience recognises distinctions within the costumes and make-up worn by various characters on stage. This points to another level in which the colours work as a sign – they project different categories within the new world created on the stage," says 19-year-old Chandrashekar Uppar, who played Angad in Vaali Moksham.

The fundamental feature of these costumes and make-up is its symbolic nature of representation. The very nature of the theme that yakshagana deals with – the epic world would preclude any possibility of realistic presentation. "The various colours project different categories to which these characters belong. As brothers, Rama and Lakshmana will have red colours with impressive headgear. Monkeys have ash and green colours with round headgear," says Hegde, who also plays Ram in Vaali Moksham.

The troupe will be performing Duryodhana Vadh in the city and has modified the prasanga, which normally starts at the twilight hour and ends at the break of dawn to fit into a two-hour performance. "We make performances compact and precise to stage in cities. Otherwise, in villages, one prasanga takes more than seven hours." The Mandali also is completing 75 years of existence this year.