Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Art
    • Heritage
    • Theatre
    • Books
    • Films
    • Team
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    Home»Dance»Mayoora Pada: The Occult Origins of Mohiniyattam- Part 35
    Dance

    Mayoora Pada: The Occult Origins of Mohiniyattam- Part 35

    Nirmala PanikerBy Nirmala PanikerFebruary 23, 2022
    Natanakaisiki-Sandra-Pisharody-and-Parvathy-Sreevallbhan.jpg
    Sandra Pisharody and Parvathy Sreevallabhan
    Share
    WhatsApp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram

    Mayoora pada follows the foot work of a peacock and trains the dancer to be as emotive as the fanned-out feathers of the bird

    It is truly remarkable how the humans are inspired from nature and their surroundings. We learnt in our earlier articles about the usage of different padas in Mohiniyattam. These padas or footwork form the foundation and grammar of the dance form – for instance, the gracious swan movement or the Hamsa Pada and the movement of the common rooster or the Kukkuda Pada. In this article, we will study the footwork of the peacock in Mayoora Pada.

    Mayoora pada: Many eyes, many emotions

    Beautiful movements of peacock have inspired several art forms including Mohiniyattam. The Mayoora pada foot work involves standing in a position where only the front of the feet and toes touch the ground and brisk movements to the sides. This foot work belongs to the rhythmic group that has chollus (jathi-like syllables) or bol-like ja-ga-ja-ga-jum-dhi-tha. The beautiful and graceful movement of a peacock is an inspiration for the Mohiniyattam dancer to use lasya or grace in their dance, which follows the Kaisiki Vrithi (sourced from Sama Veda and focuses on abhinaya) or the female dance tradition.

    Mayoora Paa

    Peacock also represents beauty and dance of the nature. In the Dravidian tradition, a dancer is expected to excel in music, dance and beauty. When the peacock fans out its multi-coloured feathers, they appear like many eyes on its body. Similarly a dancer is expected to convert the whole of his/her body into expressive eyes to convey emotions.

    Mohiniyattam artist Anju Peter (Natanakaisiki) demonstrating Mayoora Pada

    Dancers were called ‘virali‘ in Sangam poetry. One of the meanings of the word ‘viral’ in Tamil is bhava or mood. Thus, it denotes the emotive expressions. The name viralis for dancers thus denotes their ability to beautifully express human emotions.

    The realistic acting

    In the ancient poem Silapathikaram, a dancer is mentioned as the one who can use her whole body just like expressive eyes to convey the emotions deep in her heart.

    Such dancers and actors acting become a natural process. For example, when they emote anger, their face turns red. When they express pathos, tears appear naturally in their eyes. Until recently there was an acting school in Kodungallur that trained actors/dancers in such techniques. This training school existed with the patronage of the Kodungallur royal family.

    The acting process developed in the school were so natural that some of the exponents acted death on stage with such realism that audience often mistook that the actor did really pass on right in front of their eyes. Enactment of the scenes from Narasimha avatar, the half lion half human incarnation of Lord Vishnu, were taught in great detail in this school. Kulashekhara Perumal, the king who belonged to this royal family fostered many female dance traditions. He also maintained an acting laboratory in his palace. The lineage of this family who later moved to Thiruvananthapuram were great patrons of music and dance. Balarama Varma who wrote Balarama Bharatham and Swathi Thirunal who revived Mohiniyattam were part of this lineage.

    The legacy of female dance artistes

    The female dance traditions of Kerala were greatly inspired and fostered during these periods. A continuous legacy of female dance traditions existed from the Sangam periods all the way until the 19th century. This legacy would have inspired many artists to develop the acting techniques of viralis and use it in their performances.

    Irrespective of the theatre and dance form, many actors from Kathakali, Koodiyattam and other traditions were trained in the Kodungallur School until the 19th century. One of the last artists who honed his acting skills in this school is Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. That was why many decades ago, I decided to take advanced training in acting from him to enrich Mohiniyattam.

    Photo Courtesy: Natanakairali Archives

    (Assisted by Sreekanth Janardhanan)

    Click here to read more articles from Nirmala Paniker

    Ammannur Madhava Chakyar Hamsa Pada Kaisiki Vrithi Kukkuda Pada Kulashekhara Perumal Mayoora Pada Mohiniyattam Silapathikaram
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleCircus Theatre: A New Performing Art On The Anvil- 7
    Next Article Rakhi Sarkar: “With Covid, art has become more contemplative.”
    Mudras
    Nirmala Paniker

      Guru Nirmala Paniker is a danseuse, choreographer and researcher of repute. She established Natanakaisiki, the dance research and training wing of Natanakairali.

      Related Posts

      Dance Music

      Harmonising Art: Mastering the Art of Dance Music

      December 3, 2023
      Mohiniyattam

      Esal: The Occult Origins of Mohiniyattam-100

      November 18, 2023
      Abhinaya

      Journey into the Heart of Expressive Art: A Dancer’s Exploration of Abhinaya

      November 9, 2023

      Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

      Author In Focus VK Karthika

      Pathaan

      Pathaan: A Triumph of Love Over Hate

      V K KarthikaMarch 31, 2023

      Pathaan breaks the typical stereotype of Islamic Terrorism.

      Avatar

      Eastern Ethos Lifts up Cameron’s Avatar Sequel

      V K KarthikaJanuary 31, 2023

      Eastern ethos and laws of the nature are set to get a new tech-driven meaning as Cameron is planning two more sequels.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      Tholppavakoothu

      Girl Power up in Puppetry

      V K KarthikaSeptember 30, 2022

      Rajitha Ramachandra Pulavar and her team gave a new meaning to Tholppavakkooth and the body politics went in for a change in 2021

      Nanjiyamma tribal singer of Attappady

      Why the National Award for Tribal Singer Nanjiyamma Matters

      V K KarthikaAugust 27, 2022

      India witnessed a debate on the ‘purity of music’ when tribal singer Nanjiyamma won the National Award.

      EVENTS

      Flute Concert

      India Art ReviewOctober 20, 2023

      Rajeev Taranath to Perform in Bangalore Tomorrow

      India Art ReviewOctober 16, 2023
      Maathangi

      Maathangi Festival 2023 to Start from Oct 2

      India Art ReviewOctober 1, 2023

      Musicophilia, the Piano Fest

      India Art ReviewAugust 30, 2023

      Have You Read These?

      Youth

      The Fountain of Youth

      Vineeth AbrahamMay 16, 2023

      What will happen when a bookworm set out to clean his library? One of the…

      The Elephant Whisperers

      Poetics of Fostering the Animal: The Elephant Whisperers

      Babu Rajan P PMay 1, 2023

      With the decline of natural habitats, human-elephant conflict has seen a surge, often leaving the majestic creatures as unwitting participants. “The Elephant Whisperers” documentary pays homage to the conservation endeavors aimed at preserving these habitats and raising awareness among communities about the perils of anthropocentrism.

      1899 and the Virtual Studio: Futuristic Filmmaking

      IAR DeskMarch 12, 2023

      1899, the new web series from the creators of German masterpiece Dark, will be filmed entirely in a virtual studio. Here’s all you wanted to know about ‘Volume’ and why it matters to futuristic filmmaking.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      A ‘Lyrical Dance’ Tribute to Edassery’s Poem

      G S PaulNovember 8, 2022

      Choreographic ingenuity of Vinitha Nedungadi created alluring visuals of the sublime poetic imagination of Edassery in Anthithiri.

      vijayakumar menon

      Vijayakumar Menon Taught Kerala How to Appreciate Art

      Renu RamanathNovember 3, 2022

      The only wealth Menon amassed during his solitary journey was that of art. When Vijayakumar…

      About
      About

      India Art Review is a dedicated digital journal of art and culture, based in Chennai and with representatives in Kerala, Delhi, the UAE, Canada and the US.

      We're social, connect with us:

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Telegram
      People in Art
      ML Vasanthakumari MLV: The Doyenne of Melody, Laya and Vidhvatta

      MLV: The Doyenne of Melody, Laya and Vidhvatta

      July 3, 2021
      Shivarama Karanth and Leela Karanth

      Shivarama and Leela Karanth: A Life History

      October 20, 2021
      Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody: Beauty of Restrained Kathakali

      Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody: Beauty of Restrained Kathakali

      March 10, 2021
      Vintage Vignettes: Violinist T Chowdiah

      Vintage Vignettes: V.S.N on T. Chowdiah

      August 6, 2021
      Must Reads
      P K G Nambiar

      PKG Nambiar(1930-2023): The Man who Redefined the Role of Vidooshaka

      May 10, 2023
      Kanak Rele

      Dr. Kanak Rele (1937-2023): A Revolutionary in Dance 

      February 22, 2023
      Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      Adieu, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      May 10, 2022
      Lata Mangeshkar

      “Film music wasn’t hugely appreciated at home”: Lata Mangeshkar

      February 7, 2022
      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
      • Home
      • About
      Copyright © 2022. India Art Review

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

      Go to mobile version