Mohiniattam Dance for from Kerala is a Women Oriented Dance Form – Expressing Love and Devotion to God
What is Mohiniattam?
It is a semi-classical dance from Kerala which is only performed by women.
The most distinguishing features of this dance are the gentle, flowing, rhythmic and feminine steps that the dancer takes through the dance performance.
Concept and Origin
The term Mohiniattam can be broken down to “Mohini” meaning a maiden or beautiful lady and “Attam” meaning dance.
To put it simply, it refers to the dance of a beautiful woman. This dance form took its shape during the popularity of the Devadasi system. Over time, this dance form attained the status of one of India’s main classical dance forms’.
Mohiniattam Dance Themes
This dance was primarily performed to express deep love and devotion to God. The main themes of this dance form are expressions of love for Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu. The dancer uses her facial expressions as well as her eyes to express a number of emotions heartfelt feelings.
Mohiniattam Dance Costumes
Unlike other classical Indian dance costumes, the costume of Mohiniattam dancers is simple and understated. Dancers typically wear a white or creme saree with a bright, golden zari border.
Another important feature is the side bun decorated with white jasmine flowers. Gold jewellery such as necklaces, anklets, ankle bells, bangles, and waistbands add greater beauty to the dancer.
Also Read: Kathakali Classical Dance Form, Kerala
During the Mohiniattam dance performance, accompanying music is primarily Carnatic Music along with accompanying musical instruments such as the Violin, Mridangam, Cymbals and the Veena, etc.
Some Famous Mohiniattam Dancers
Some of the well-known masters of this dance include
Vijayalakshmi
Gopika Varma
Radha Dutta
Pallavi Krishnan
Sunanda Nair
Jayaprabha Menon
Are you a Mohiniattam Dancer? To add greater value to this page, we invite you to contribute your picture in your traditional Mohiniattam dance costume for inclusion on this webpage. We’ll surely add your name under the picture as a token of thanks. Email us at [email protected]
Are you looking for a talented Content Writer to write dance-related articles for your blog? Contact Us