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M ohiniyattam enthusiasts in Kolkata have reason to celebrate as renowned dancer and choreographer Pallavi Krishnan is set to inaugurate the Lasya Akademi of Mohiniyattam in her hometown. This new institution promises to be a beacon for the art form, offering a platform for dance lovers to immerse themselves in the nuances of this classical dance. With Pallavi's dedication to preserving the traditions of Mohiniyattam while bringing in new ideas, this academy is set to become an important cultural center in the city. Pallavi Krishnan is a celebrated Mohiniyattam performer, choreographer, and teacher with a career marked by artistic excellence and global impact. Trained under eminent gurus at Kerala Kalamandalam and Santiniketan, she has mastered the delicate balance of tradition and innovation, making her performances both deeply rooted and uniquely expressive. Her dedication to the art form has earned her numerous accolades...

R enowned 'Mizhavu' artist and Guru - Padmashri P.K. Narayanan Nambiar released a book ( Malayalam ) - 'Nrthya Sankethangal Mohiniyattathil' written by Dr. Geetha Sivakumar at Palakkad, Keralam. Over the years, different 'Baanis' or 'Traditions' had contributed a lot in the nourishment of Mohiniyattam. This book -'Nrtya Sankethangal Mohiniyattathil' focuses on 'Kalamandalam baani'.   ”Mohiniyattam, a lyrical dance form of Kerala, has a well structured 'prayoga' style in Kerala Kalamandalam Kalaries. This book tends to analyse the techniques of Mohiniyattam adopted by Kerala Kalamandalam so as to consider it as a Lasya Nrtya form. The queries on the techniques of nrtya such as what, why, where, when are the basic thought of this study. It is analysed on the basis of Sanskrit texts, which give us more scientific explanations and principles. ...

C leveland Thyagaraja Festival's Nrithya Seva Mani award will be presented to the renowned Mohiniyattam exponent Dr. Sunanda Nair. The title of Nrithya Seva Mani is bestowed upon an individual who has made a lasting contribution to Classical Dance through propagation and demonstration. Senior disciple of Pathmabhushan Dr Kanak Rele, Dr. Sunanda Nair is one of the foremost exponents of the art today. She is the first student to complete Masters Degree in Mohiniyattam in India. She has completed her PhD from University of Mumbai for her thesis "Intrinsic Lyrical Feminism in Mohiniattam". She was in high school, while she started the Srutilaya Institute of Fine Arts, which trains students both Mohiniattam and Bharatanatyam, in 1980. She had performed all around the globe in prestigious venues and had received somany awards such as 'Kalarathnam’ from Kerala Kalamandalam(2016), 'Kalaasree' from the Kerala Sangeetha Natak Akadem...

T hird edition of ida dance fest was organized on 14th and 15th December 2019 at 'The Land of Lords and Looms' -Kannur, Kerala, a region famous for the Theyyams and Handlooms. On the first day, Kathak by Richa Guptha, Bharathanatyam by RLV Anand, Harinie Jeevitha & Bhairavi Venkatesan, Kuchipudi by Ruchi Krishna and Aavani Rakesh were presented. An item that depicted the story of Lord Ayyappa in Ragamalika set to Aadi thalam was presented by RLV Anand. Harinie Jeevitha & Bhairavi Venkatesan started their performance with an invocation to Lord Ganesha. Through their next item 'Ananada Natana Prakasam' of Shri Muthuswami Deekshithar, both Harinie and Bhairavi captured the attention of the audience. Due to the deviation from the Bharathanatyam's traditional style of music in the background, their next item 'Janani Jagathkarini' did effect the 'classical mood' of the performance. It is not that the choreography or performance ...

I t will be a real feast for the Mohiniyattam fans! 111 days long Soorya fest 2018, will display the opulence of Mohiniyattam performances by nation's top class artists. The details of the performances are as follows. 6th Oct Dr. Methil Devika (Venue : AKG Centre, Thiruananthapuram) 1st Dec Smt. Pallavi Krishnan (Venue : Ganesham, Thiruananthapuram) 2nd Dec Kalasree Gopika Varma (Venue : Ganesham, Thiruananthapuram) 3rd Dec Smt. Smitha Rajan (Venue : Ganesham, Thiruananthapuram) 4th Dec Kalasree Dr. Sunanda Nair (Venue : Ganesham, Thiruananthapuram) 5th Dec Dr. Neena Prasad (Venue : Ganesham, Thiruananthapuram) Time : 6.45 PM - all the above performances.

I t is Janmashtami today. The day on which the Complete Avatar of Lord Narayana was born as Little Krishna as the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. Krishna, if we go through the puranas, is everything. He is a good son, a brother, a friend, a lover, a protector, a destructor, a messenger, a statesman… and what not! Having the constrains of a living being, we try to limit Krishna or can only view Krishna at times as per our perception or state of mind. The fact is that Lord Krishna, the Supreme God, is beyond all space and time. For Radha, Lord Krishna is her lover. She wants to be with him always and never wants to get separated from him. But, we can see sad Radha experiencing the pain of separation a lot. The Mohiniyattam video clip by the renowned dancer Dr. Neena Prasad that is attached here depicts such a situation from Ashtapathi beautifully. Radha cannot suffer the pain of separation. She is imagining that her Lover is spending his time with his some other ...

A s a part of 33rd annual dance festival by the Pollachi Tamil Isai Sangam, a group of Mohiniyattam dancers from Upaasna akademy of fine arts of Mumbai led by Smt. Sujatha Nair presented a few selected Mohiniyattam items on Sunday 12th August 2018 at the KKG Thirumana mandapa auditorium. Starting with an item in praise of the one tusked Vigneswara they presented a Varnam in ragam Simhendra Madyamam depicting few scenes from Ramayanam like Ahalya moksham, Seeta Swayamvaram and Sabarai Darshanam. While Sujatha Nair did a solo presentation of an ashtapadi from Gitagovindam. The group also presented an item in Ragamaalika, recreating the Vrindavana leelas of Lord Srikrushna. All the items were choreographed by Smt. Jayashree Nair, founder director of Upaasana. Jayashree Nair and her students were felicitated by the Sangam secretary Sri G D Gopalakrishnan.

A girl whose thoughts were filled with classical dance, when grown up, married into the royal family of Maharaja Sri Swathi Thirunal—whose contributions to Mohiniyattam are priceless, and whose lifetime is considered the golden era of Mohiniyattam. She considers it as a blessing. Now, years later, she has again been handpicked by the Almighty to portray the life of Adi Shankaracharya through dance. In this conversation with Gopika Varma, PSB Nambiar Sooryavamsham explores the inspiration, research, and process behind ‘Namami Shankaram’, a Mohiniyattam portrayal of Adi Shankaracharya’s life. A dancer often senses a spark for a new choreography. Can you tell us how ‘Namami Shankaram’ first took shape in your mind? I was invited to perform for Adi Shankara Jayanthi in Indore in March 2017. I was confused about what to perform. One day, I went to my friend Krithika Subramanian’s house for dinner. Her mother-in-law was reading a commentary on Adi Shankaracharya. I asked her f...

F rom a few wonderful photos which came under our consideration for this third announcement, we selected this beautiful capture of Kalasree Dr. Sunanda Nair in landacape orientation. Photo by : Sri. Murali Santhana, Captured at USA in 2017 This is a moment of Jaddaayu from The Maharaja Swathi Thirunaal’s famous composition “Bhaavayaami RaghuRaamam…” based on the Ramayanam. The position and posture of the dancer along with the composition of the frame bestow a real visual treat..! The Dancer on her toes, with shadow below in the background gives the feeling of the vast sky and the determination and strength of Jaddaayu. (Announced on 22nd August 2017) About the Artist : KALASHREE DR. SUNANDA NAIR Kalashree Dr. Sunanda Nair, is one of the leading exponents of Mohini Attam ( Mohiniyattam) in the country today. She is the disciple of the noted Mohini Aattam exponent Padmabhushan Dr. Kanak Rele who is responsible for the structured growth and establishing...