Characterised by swaying and circular movements, the dance form is very slow in comparison to the others, going up to only the second speed, Madhyama, whereas a dance form like Kathak would go up to the fourth speed, Dhuta.
Mohiniattam, with its origins in Kerala, is one of the lesser known of the eight Indian classical dance forms — the other seven being Bharatnatyam, Katahak, Kathakali, Sattriya, Oddissi, Kuchipudi and Manipuri. Characterised by swaying and circular movements, the dance form is very slow in comparison to the others, going up to only the second speed, Madhyama, whereas a dance form like Kathak would go up to the fourth speed, Dhuta.
Raju has been moulding the dance form as per the music and language of the place where it is being performed.
“It is one of the reasons that the dance has not been very popular with audiences,” explains Rekha Raju, a Mohiniattam dancer who is working towards promoting the dance form. A chartered accountant by qualification, Dr Raju chose to pursue a career in dance, starting with Bharatnatyam.
Hailing from Kerala, she thought it was her duty to promote the dance form of her homeland and she has been working primarily with Mohiniattam for the past six years.
A Yuva Kala Bharati, Yuva Kala Pratibha and Bharat Nritya Samrat awardee, she runs the Nrithya Dhama School of Dance and Music in Bangalore. Raju was in Pune for a workshop on Bharatnatyam with students of the Bharati Vidya Bhavan School.
One of the other reasons that it is not as popular, she says, is that all of the songs Mohiniattam was performed to were sung in Malayali. Trying to overcome the linguistic gap, over the past six years, Raju has been using a unique method so that the dance form adapts to different audiences- performing it to the music and language of the place where she is. “When I perform in Maharashtra, I use Marathi Abhangas, or other popular songs and sit down with the musicians to figure out how the song can be played for a Mohiniattam performance. I do the same in different states, using Kannada poetry, Tamil poetry — and even English poetry — depending on which place I am performing in,” she says.
The familiarity of the music helps the audience relate to the dance form.
Two years ago, at a performance in Bangalore, she also danced to a Latin American music played by Eric Martin, a vocalist, guitarist and banjo player. “As long as you remain within the traditions and aesthetic values of the dance form, it is good to keep innovating,” says Raju.
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