Course on Mohiniyattam Dance

This year, for the first time, the Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies has organised a course of Mohiniyattam, one of the main forms of Indian classical dance, which originated in the southern state of Kerala in the 14th-16th century. This dance form is part of the tradition of temple dances of the Devadasi (“servants of God”) and can be considered a direct descendant. As a ritual dance, it is associated with Vishnu, referred to in the term Mohini, the name of the woman whose guise the god takes to slay the demon Bhasmasura. Coded according to the principles found in the Natya Shastra, the most authoritative treatise on Indian dance, the Mohiniyattam is characterised by a harmonious combination of elements of nrita (pure dance) and nritya (dramatic dance), and possesses the graceful elegance of the Bharata Natyam and the vigour of the Kathakali.

The Mohiniyattam workshop is to be held by Kapila Venu, a leading performer of the genre and daughter of the masters Gopal Venu and Nirmala Paniker, prominent figures in the Kerala traditional theatre revival. A versatile artist, at ease in various kinds of classical performances, Kapila Venu is already known to Italian critics and audiences for her successful performances as the lead player in Sakuntala by Kalidasa, a Kutiyattam performance staged by the Natana Kairali company in Turin (SettembreMusica), Palermo (Festival di Morgana) and Rome (Romaeuropa Festival).

Giorgio Cini Foundation
San Giorgio Maggiore Island – Venice

27-30 August 2009
Thursday and Friday from 3pm to 6pm
Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am to 12.30am

Contacts
Istituto Interculturale di Studi Musicali Comparati
tel. +39 041 2710357
e-mail: musica.comparata@cini.it