What is Mohiniyattom ?

The Mohiniyattam is a traditional dance of southern India. This is a very elegant dance that can only be staged by women. The term mohiniyattam comes from the words Mohini , which means 'woman who fascinates them [the viewers]' and Attam , word for sensual and elegant body movements, then can be translated as "dance of lovely woman."
Some stories speak of Vishnu disguised Mojiní , in explaining that guise of Mohini appeared to drive away the asuras (demons) of amrita (nectar of immortality). Others have adapted to the form of Mohini to save the god Shiva the demon Bhasmasura . He had received the blessing of God to turn to ashes just anyone with his hand on his head. Intention to do so with their own god and Vishnu appeared as Mohini, I fell in love and made him dance like her. At one point she put her hand on his head and did the same and died. It is possible that the name mohiniyaattam be set from here. The main theme of the dance is love and devotion to God and usually Vishnu or Krishna are the heroes. It is customary to stage in the temples and has elements of koothu and kottiyattom . It is a drama in dance and verse. Mohiniyattam dance  is characterized by subtle movements: the hips and torso move very smoothly, suggesting the movement of the leaves of the trees and the sound of water from the rivers in Kerala , its land of origin. In addition, the eyes are used in a sensual manner in order to enchant the mind without attracting the senses. There are approximately 40 different basic movements, known atavukal . This dance, which retains some elements of two traditional dance forms of South India,  The dress is typical of this dance is a sari in white with gold embroidery called kasavu . This dance is based on the classic textHastha Lakshanadeepika , which contains the description of Mudras (gestural expressions with the palm and fingers). In music there are mohiniyattam variations in rhythmic structure called chollu . The lyrics of the songs is in manipravala , a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam .

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