This dance….
is called: Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam (Malayalam: മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala.
Societal relevance
Mohiniyattam dance gets its name from the word Mohini – a historical enchantress avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who helps the good prevail over evil by developing her feminine powers.
Mohiniyattam is a semi-classical dance meaning a dance that evolved in between classical Indian dance and folk dance. Mohiniyattam's roots, like all classical Indian dances, are in the Natya Shastra – the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text on performance arts. It is traditionally a solo dance performed by women after extensive training, though nowadays men can also perform the dance.
Costumes
The costume includes plain white or off-white such as ivory or cream colored sari embroidered with bright golden or gold laced colored brocade. She wears a fitted choli (blouse) matching the sari, below which at the waist has a golden belt which tucks in the end of the sari, and highlights the waist. In front of the saree, below the belt is a pleated sheet with concentric bands in gold or saffron colors, which allow freedom of movement and assists in visually communicating the mudra to distant audience.
The dancer wears relatively simple jewelry and no masks, in contrast to the other major classical dance of Kerala called Kathakali. Her jewelry typically includes items on fingers, wrists, neck and ears (which may have bells). The face makeup is natural, but lips are brilliant red, she has the Hindu tikka (Gobi) on her forehead and her eyes are lined to help prominently highlight the eye movements during the dance. Her ankles are adorned with leather straps with bells (chilanka), feet and fingers colored red with natural dyes. Her hairdo is gathered and tied into a smooth tight round chignon on one side of her head (typically left) and the bun then ringed with fragrant flowers (typically jasmine mulla). For male dancers, they typically wear a dhoti (called the muti). Like women, his ankles are also adorned with chilankas, feet and fingers colored red with natural dyes. Like women, he also has the Hindu tikka (Gobi) on his forehead and his eyes are lined.
Music
The repertoire of Mohiniyattam includes music in the Carnatic style, singing and acting a play through the dance, where the recitation may be either by a separate vocalist or the dancer themselves. The song is typically in Malayalam-Sanskrit hybrid called Manipravalam. The vocals (music) of Mohiniyattam involves various rhythms. There are numerous compositions for a Mohiniyattam repertoire, most of whose lyrics are in Manipravalam, a mixture of Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam. The musical instruments usually used in Mohiniyattam are Mridangam or Madhalam (barrel drum), Idakka (hour glass drum), flute, Veena, and Kuzhitalam(cymbals). The ragas (melody) are rendered in the sopana (steps) style, which is a slow melodic style with roots in the Natya Shastra.
[1] Talks with Akshata Ramesh (Dancer from India)
[2] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohiniyattam
is called: Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam (Malayalam: മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala.
Societal relevance
Mohiniyattam dance gets its name from the word Mohini – a historical enchantress avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who helps the good prevail over evil by developing her feminine powers.
Mohiniyattam is a semi-classical dance meaning a dance that evolved in between classical Indian dance and folk dance. Mohiniyattam's roots, like all classical Indian dances, are in the Natya Shastra – the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text on performance arts. It is traditionally a solo dance performed by women after extensive training, though nowadays men can also perform the dance.
Costumes
The costume includes plain white or off-white such as ivory or cream colored sari embroidered with bright golden or gold laced colored brocade. She wears a fitted choli (blouse) matching the sari, below which at the waist has a golden belt which tucks in the end of the sari, and highlights the waist. In front of the saree, below the belt is a pleated sheet with concentric bands in gold or saffron colors, which allow freedom of movement and assists in visually communicating the mudra to distant audience.
The dancer wears relatively simple jewelry and no masks, in contrast to the other major classical dance of Kerala called Kathakali. Her jewelry typically includes items on fingers, wrists, neck and ears (which may have bells). The face makeup is natural, but lips are brilliant red, she has the Hindu tikka (Gobi) on her forehead and her eyes are lined to help prominently highlight the eye movements during the dance. Her ankles are adorned with leather straps with bells (chilanka), feet and fingers colored red with natural dyes. Her hairdo is gathered and tied into a smooth tight round chignon on one side of her head (typically left) and the bun then ringed with fragrant flowers (typically jasmine mulla). For male dancers, they typically wear a dhoti (called the muti). Like women, his ankles are also adorned with chilankas, feet and fingers colored red with natural dyes. Like women, he also has the Hindu tikka (Gobi) on his forehead and his eyes are lined.
Music
The repertoire of Mohiniyattam includes music in the Carnatic style, singing and acting a play through the dance, where the recitation may be either by a separate vocalist or the dancer themselves. The song is typically in Malayalam-Sanskrit hybrid called Manipravalam. The vocals (music) of Mohiniyattam involves various rhythms. There are numerous compositions for a Mohiniyattam repertoire, most of whose lyrics are in Manipravalam, a mixture of Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam. The musical instruments usually used in Mohiniyattam are Mridangam or Madhalam (barrel drum), Idakka (hour glass drum), flute, Veena, and Kuzhitalam(cymbals). The ragas (melody) are rendered in the sopana (steps) style, which is a slow melodic style with roots in the Natya Shastra.
[1] Talks with Akshata Ramesh (Dancer from India)
[2] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohiniyattam