Mohiniyattam Classical Dance Kerala Lasya Style

Mohiniyattam is the classical solo dance form of Kerala, characterized by swaying flowing movements (lasya) contrasting with the vigorous tandava style of Kathakali, depicting the dance of Mohini (the enchantress form of Vishnu), performed by women in cream-and-gold Kasavu silk costume with jasmine garland on the hair. The form draws from the Devadasi (Nangiamma) temple dance tradition of Kerala temples, particularly the ones in Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur, and was systematized into a teachable classical format by the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and the dancer Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma at Kerala Kalamandalam in the 1930s-40s, parallel to the Bharatanatyam revival in Tamil Nadu. The music of Mohiniyattam is Carnatic classical or Sopana sangeet, with Manipravalam lyrics (Sanskrit-Malayalam composite) sung live to mridangam and edakka percussion. The movement vocabulary of Mohiniyattam is characterized by the signature chuzhippu (circular swaying of the torso), atavus (basic units) that combine gliding steps with arm waves, and refined facial expression for thematic sequences drawn from Krishnanattam and Ramayana narratives. Kerala Kalamandalam, designated a Deemed University in 2006, is the primary institution for Mohiniyattam training along with Sopanam and other Thiruvananthapuram academies.