Heritage India 2019 - 'In Praise of Lord Krishna'

Mohiniyattam is a lasya sub genre of dance, performed in the Kaisiki vritti (graceful style), as discussed in ancient Indian performance arts texts such as the Natya Shastra. More specifically, it is a dance that excels in Ekaharya Abhinaya form, that is a solo expressive dance performance aided by singing and music.
Mohiniyattam adheres to the Lasya type that showcases a more graceful , gentle and a feminine form of dancing . Mohiniyattam derives from the word ‘Mohini’  a female avatar of  Lord Vishnu . This Mohiniyattam Padam is from the Kriti by Narayana theerthar in Neelambari ragam. This padam is about Lord Krishna who is one of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities worshiped . In Mohiniyāṭṭam the dancer embodies bhakti bhāva (expression) and rasa, and transcends human and divine distinctions.
Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma (wife of famous Kathakali artist, late Padmashree Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair) is known as ‘Mother Of Mohiniyattam ‘and Chinnammu Amma are well known Mohiniyattam performers.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.

 

The performance opens with a piece in praise of the cosmic dancer Lord Shiva. Then the dancer explores both Nritta (pure dance) and Abhinaya (facial expressions) in the Varnam (the main piece) , a celebration of the virtuosity in the dance of Lord Shiva.
Mohiniyattam, also spelt as Mohiniattam, is the traditional dance form of Kerala performed exclusively by women. It is one of the ancient Indian classical dance forms recognized by Sangeet Natak Akademi. The dance is characterized by suggestive hand movements (mudras), rhythmic footwork and lyrical music. Mohiniyattam is meant to be performed as a solo recital and is a gentle, graceful dance depicting the theme of shringar or love. Mohiniyattam is believed to have originated in the 16th century but flourished from the 19th century under the patronage of the King of Travancore Swathi Thirunal. It is one of India’s most loved dance forms even today.

Thiruvasagam 2019 - 'A Tribute to the cosmic dancer Lord Shiva'

Raleigh International Festival 2018 - 'Discover the world in Raleigh'

The International Festival of Raleigh is being held from 26th October to 28th October 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina.The annual event offers 3 days of
international performances, food, games, art and cultural exhibits at the Raleigh Convention Center. Over 60 different groups from around the world
participate to showcase their cuisine, traditional dance and music; to share traditions and to celebrate the Triangle’s unique diversity.

 

Kathak has been closely associated with Krishna’s legends. The dance style in its formative phase was inseparably linked with Krishna legend. The divine love of Radha and Krishna has been a theme for artistic representation for many years now and when it comes to dance, the representation of the life story of this divine couple is not restricted to one dance form. This performance is one of my favorite and definitely portrays mastery in choreography.

 

HSNC Fund Raiser - Classical Kathak Solo Performance

Navyug India Fest - Raleigh

Nuv Yug utilizes a state-of-the-art online platform which consists of automated registration, audition judging, performance scheduling, and stage management functions. It helps produce a program consisting of over 1,500 performers during two days of a festival.

Raleigh area residents have enjoyed a top notch family oriented Indian cultural arts festival for over a decade.

The Mission of Navyug is to preserve and promote Indian cultural arts by producing programs of high artistic merit that entertain and educate.

• Reach out to people from diverse ethnic background to increase awareness of Indian cultural arts and build strong community ties.

• Provide support to improve the lives of underprivileged and distressed people.

Navyug India Fest - Charlotte

North American Triangle Youth Association 2017

NATYA is a non-profit 501(c)3 to serve the local triangle community. Every year leading performers from  different classical indian art forms, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Kuchipudi ,odissi and more come together to perform  on this stage. All proceeds go to charity.

In the Grand Rath Yatra at HSNC, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balraam and Devi Subhdra go for a vacation at their aunts temple (Gundicha temple) and the devotees get to see the lord outside the temple without any restriction. It is one the most unique festivals of Odisha.

The cultural program had an Odissi festival as the highlight and also presented 6 classical dance forms out of 8 one of which was Mohiniyattam.

HSNC Rath Yatra 2017

Raleigh International Festival Fusion

The annual International Festival of Raleigh engages over 50 different ethnic groups from around the world who showcase their cuisine, traditional dance and music, native artwork, and unique heritage in order to celebrate the Triangle’s unique diversity.

This performance saw leading performers from 4 different classical indian art forms, Mohiniyattam, Kathak, Kuchipudi and odissi come together to perform fusion dance on the stage

 

Music and dance concert juried by board members, bringing together traditional Indian music and dance groups from schools and colleges of Florida. This one-night-only dance concert, board will bring together traditional Indian dance groups from colleges around the State. Groups from the University of FL, University of South FL, University of Central FL, and the University of Miami are participating in this performance at the after extensive observation and oversight of their training.

Sur Aur Taal , Orlando