MOHINIYATTAM

Oppana

Oppana is generally presented by females, numbering about fifteen including musicians, on a wedding day. The bride dressed in all finery, covered with gold ornaments is the chief spectator who sits on a peetam, around which the singing and dancing take place. While they sing, they clap their hands rhythmically and move around the bride using simple steps. Two or three girls begin the songs and the rest join in chorus.

Sometime Oppana is also presented by males to entertain the bridegroom. It usually takes place just before the bridegroom leaves for the bride's residence where the Nikah (marriage) takes place or at the time he enters the Maniyara.

Ottanthullal

OTTANTHULLAL
Kunchan Nambiar, the drummer, was playing Mizhavu for Chakyar koothu. It is a solo dance with the artiste himself singing the verses to the accompaniment of Mridangam and timing with a refrain repeater singing in the background. Usually the performance lasts a couple of hours. One day, against all precedence, he happened to doze off by sheer inactivity caused by a prolonged talk by the Chakyar after a recital of poem that needed the rhythmic support.
When the Chakyar abruptly started reciting another lyric, having had no rhythmic response from the drummer looked back and found Kunchan Nambiar dozing. He not only woke him up but also ripped him down by humiliatingly sarcastic comments and jokes on his person. Nambiar hanged his head in shame and silently walked off.
Instead of crying over the incident in self-contempt, he sat through the whole night, with a vengeance, and wrote a poem depicting an episode from Mahabharatha in a never-to-fore metric and rhythmic pattern. He also devised a special kind of dance for its exposition. The legend is that he presented it the very next evening at the same temple where he was humiliated on a different platform at the same time the Chakyar had begun. By the novelty, wittiness, and acridity of the programme he attracted all the audiences that had surrounded Chakyar to his show. It was the birth of a new art form that he named as "Ottanthullal". Impressive costume down the waistline and colourful crown are copied from Kathakali, with slight variations. Ornaments are made up mainly of tender leaves of coconut and glass beads.

MOHINIYAATTAM

MOHINIYATTAM

It is the typical dance form of Kerala. Mohini means enchantress and attam is dance.
As the name denotes, it is an amorous (Lasya) dance performed in slow, elegant and
sensuous pace with formulated hand gestures translating the song to which it is performed.
It is closely related to Bharathanatyam of Tamil Nadu, which was originally called 'Dasiyattam'.
Originated as the temple dance performed by Devadasis, it portrays feminine love in its myriad forms
- carnal, devotional and maternal- with accent more on Lasya and Bhava.

Mohiniyattam is said to have originated in Kerala. It is an art form of Travancore of nineteenth
century enlivened during the regime of King Swati Thirunal. The king, a scholar, Sanskrit poet and
an exponent of Carnatic and Hindustani music, patronized and popularised this art form with whole-hearted
co-operation and lyrical support from Irayimman Thampi, a noted poet, often referred to as gem of his court.
Most of the component items of Mohiniyattam are similar to Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi, though subtle
differences of style is obvious. The language used in the lyrics is a pleasant mixture of Malayalam and
Sanskrit, known as Manipravalam. Formerly, the Padams were specially composed to include only Sringararasa.
Now a days artists are using any classical or semi-classical compositions, even from other language.
The real beauty of Mohiniyattam comes through only when mature ladies enact the romantic padams specially
written to present the Ashta Nayikas: Swadheena Bharthruka, Khanditha, Abhisarika, Vipralabdha,
Kalahandtharitha, Vasakasajja, Proshithabharthruka, Viraholkhanditha.
Among the main items Cholkettu, Padavarnam and Padam, Mudras and facial expressions are more
important than the rhythmic steps.The tuft knotted at the side of the head adorned by a garland of
jasmine circling it, the dancer with normal facial make up and clad in gilded sari with series of
pleats and jacket sways her body to the rhythm of orchestrated background music.
Compared most other dance forms, Mohiniyattam gives more importance to gestural and facial acting.
The Mudras (hand gestures) are almost always same as those employed in Kathakali. The artists try
to enact the lyrics almost in its entirety, like in Kathakali.

KATHAKALI

CLASSICAL ARTS
KATHAKALI
Kerala is known the world over by its own performing art form, the Kathakali. "Katha" means story and "Kali"
stands for dance.
It is a beautiful mix of dance, drama and music that the connoisseurs of art world qualified as 'a
total art form of immense sophistication and power'.This is a form of dance formerly confined only to
the festival stages in temples.
It is a mime show, dancing with mudras (formulated hand gestures conveying the text of lyrics) and
specialised dancing steps following the song rendered in the background by a singer to the accompaniment of Chenda,
Maddalam (country drums), Chenkila and Elathalam (Cymbals).
The face painted green and made up with a spot of sacred sandal paste on the brow, eye-lined with mascara,
lip toned by cherry and white chin mask, the dancer dons a colourful costume and rich and impressive crown
and jewellery.
A traditional pedestal Nilavilakku (oil lamp) with sixty wicks on both sides lit together lights the dancing
floor. There are four types of make up. Pachcha (green) face painted green and adorning sober and beautiful
attires denoting the godly or virtuous character.
Thadi (beard); divided into Chuvanna Thadi (red beard) depicting aggressive and demoniac characters, Karutha
Thadi (black beard) depicting aborigines, cavemen and foresters and Vella Thadi (white beard) representing Rishis,
Saints, Preceptors and other intellectuals. Kari (carbon black) representing mean characters and Minukku (refined)
presenting women and Brahmins.
There is a school of thought which believes that Ramanattam could be the ancestor of Kathakali, for very many
similarities in the presentations, costumes, acting and background music could be cited in both. The stage decor,
costumes, make up, and mudras as seen today are purported to be improvements bestowed gradually to this art
form by two veteran Namboothiris, Kalladikkodan and Kaplingadan Manas.
Centuries down, there developed a branch of literature known as "Kathakali literature" and compositions of poet
laureates like Kottayath thampuran, Unnayi Warrier, Koyithampuran, Vayaskara Mooss are milestones in the
history of Kathakali.

Aattakkadhakal (stories for dance), the poetic compositions of legendary stories to special metric scale,
set to music in classical Carnatic style are danced out.

Keralam