Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020 - 53

draw attention to the skilled footwork.
The silver ornamentation draws from the
regional chandi tarkashi, silver filigree
jewelry-making craft from the Puri and
Cuttack districts (see Rajan and Rajan
2009, 226).
The Odissi costume, in many ways,
is similar to the Bharatanatyam costume,
and has gone through a similar revival
process. However, the specific use of silver filigree jewelry, for example, that mirrors the white yarn accents of the fabrics
(see Odissi costume images), is quite
different from the luscious golds seen
in Bharatanatyam. Similarly, the use of
white-colored shola in the headdress and
earrings also visually repeats the whites
and silvers of the body. The careful attention to such details in the costume choices
meticulously draws from the local artistic
traditions of the region. This is another
way dance revival in India has revisited local and regional material culture.

Mohiniyattam

Mohiniyattam is known as the dance
of the enchantress named Mohini. She
draws from the rasa of Shringar, or selfadornment, love, and beautification for
the divine. In the Hindu epics, Mohini is
a goddess who appeared as a female form
of Krishna to save the demigods. She enchanted the demons with her enthralling
music and dance and secured from them
a celestial potion that the demigods wanted. Naturally, her appearance is associated with her mesmerizing beauty.
Today's dance, with roots in the Kerala
region of southwest India, finds ancestors
in "social ensemble dances" and does
not have a clear lineage from a templebased Devadasi heritage (Venkataraman
and Pasricha 2002, 98). However, under
the British, this form, too, was officially
banned. It saw immense research and
development alongside the Kathakali classical form. The Kerala Kalamandalam
academy, an institution for Kathakali research and development, was established
in the early 1930s, and it also included a
branch on Mohiniyattam (Venkataraman
and Pasricha 2002, 98-106).
One note of departure from
Bharatanatyam and Odissi here is that
Mohiniyattam is performed only by
women, unlike in the others where male
solo or group dancers also perform.
Thus, Mohiniyattam does not have a
codified male costume.

Glossary of Terms
Abhinaya: Mimetic storytelling
Ahariya: Costume
Ahariyabhinaya: Costume-led
performance
Alankar: Jewelry or other
adornment such as face painting
Choli: Blouse covering the upper body
Dasi attam/Sadir: Two terms
for the dance performed by
temple dancers till the early
20th century. It is the precursor
of modern Bharatanatyam.
Dhoti: A rectangular fabric
draped around the legs to form
a bifurcated garment
Nautch: An older term for Indian dance, especially dance as

seen in northern India. Kathak
classical dance has roots in
Nautch.
Natya: Dramatic expression
Natyashastra: Guidebook
and theoretical text on dancedrama from South Asia, believed to have been written
by Bharatamuni between 200
BCE and 200 CE. It is an extant
text with translations in several
regional languages of India.
Nritta: Dance focused on pure
movement with little gestural
and mimetic expression
Nritya: Dance drama combining movement and mimetic
performance

men and women. This piece is
draped in many ways, but often
gets featured in the front. It is
usually in contrast colors to the
rest of the garment.
Pallu: Refers to the highly
decorated end piece of a sari
that is draped in the front of
the body.
Rasa: Flavor of the performative expression. There are nine
rasa according to Natyashastra.
Shringar: The expression of
self-adornment and love. It is
considered the highest rasa
and it is often depicted by
dancers

Odhni/Dupatta: A scarf piece
that is often part of a tunicpants set of Indian clothing for

Costume
The dancer's body is defined in an exquisite white costume made from the
iconic Kosara Pudava white cotton or silk
Kerala sari with gold borders (Lynton,
2002, 138). Four saris totaling to 20 meters are used to make one pleated skirt
costume. Under this wide pleated skirt,
pajama pants are worn. The rich gold border at the edge sometimes has red, blue,
or green accents. A waist length choli
blouse is tucked into the skirt. The prepleated pallu/odhni over the shoulder is
tucked into the skirt to create a strong emphasis on a shapely waist, reminiscent of
the goddess-enchantress imagery. Layers
of circular fan at the center reflect the
gentle oscillating movement of the dance
form. Most often, the fan is two-tiered, but
there are occasions where only one tier
is used. Some dancers even experiment
with three tiers. The fans are mounted
on ties that are tied at center back. In referencing the movements, Venkataraman
explains how "these images seem to unite
in Mohini Attam with its smooth circular
movement of the torso forming the central motif. The flexibility of waist, shoulders, elbows and wrists operates within
the measured discipline of the andolika,
and is not to be exaggerated" (2002, 104).
This measured oscillation is accentuated

by the repeating circular patterns in the
costume. The circular pattern is seen in
the skirt (unlike pants in Bharatanatyam
or Odissi). The circularity is also repeated
in the fans.
Dancer Sruthi Mohan chose to play
with the costume in her performance in
New York, wearing an Ikat black and red
blouse instead of a white one to provide
some contrast to the white of the sari.
The traditional stipulation is to wear a
red or black blouse, which provides a contrast to the white and gold sari, according to Mohan quoting Kalamandalam
Satyabhama (2014, 101). Even this
stipulation saw a reinterpretation, in the
post-independence era, when dancers adopted a cream and gold sari and blouse
ensemble, losing the contrast derived
from a small proportion of red and black.
Priyadarshini Shome uses gold and white
entirely. These periodic and personal
choices all point to the flexibility dancers
have in adapting the costume as they see
fit for their character, storytelling, aesthetic needs, or the audience.
Hairstyle
The Mohiniyattam dancer's iconic
style is the asymmetric hair bun on the
dancer's left side. This whimsical asymmetric style suggests her subtle and yet

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Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2020

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