A slew of treatises of yore and temple inscriptions are enough indications of the numerous dance forms staged in temples.
Browsing: Kerala dancers
Devadasis were part of Kerala temples as well, shows history, though they were more respected and were even made queens, at times.
The classical theatre of Kerala rests on the solid foundation laid down in Vyangyavyakhya (VV)
The present-day Mohininyattam is a beautiful combination of the Desi aspect of Kerala and the devadasi dance form that came from outside.
The editor of Vyangyavyakhya explains the circumstances that led to its curation.
The writer, who edited the work Vyangyavyakhya explains the concept of Dhvani and how theatre art forms in Kerala deviated from NatyaShastra
Sankaracharya mentions the lasya or grace of the Goddess in several of his verses, while the recurring theme of Mohiniyattam – the pain of a Nayika separated from the Nayaka, can be metaphorically compared to Jīvātma yearning to be reunited with the Paramātma.
The manuals for several Kerala art forms like Koodiyāṭṭaṁ and Nangiārkūttụ are said to have been formed during the age of the Kulasekharas, who followed the Chera dynasty in Kerala. The current day Mohiniyattam can be considered a dance form in the lasya style which imbibed the core principles of many ancient dance forms of Chera influence
Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, the writer Keiko Okano has been practising and performing Mohiniyattam in Kerala for more than a decade now, shuttling between Kerala and Tokyo. This is a brief story of her journey to Kerala, to becoming a Mohiniyattam dancer.
Aparna Nangiar makes history with Dasamam Koothu, a rare variant of Nangiarkoothu.