6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Mohiniyattam researcher Amith K's ‘Tribute to Chinnammu Amma' recital seeks to stir conversations on 'class' and the classical
For decades, Mohiniyattam has been presented through a 'classical' lens — polished, codified, and Brahminised. And all the while, it has often obscured the realities of those who shaped its earlier iterations.
Mohiniyattam dancer, choreographer and researcher Amith K always felt that gap, especially while looking back to trace the beginnings of this art form. A PhD graduate from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Amith has always been interested in exploring the nuanced intersections of caste, culture, gender, and history within Kerala's performing arts.
His latest project ventures deeper, into the forgotten lineage of women practitioners whose contributions have been sidelined or erased in dominant narratives.
'When I started focusing on the women practitioners in Kerala, I realised how many gaps exist in Mohiniyattam's recorded history,' Amith explains. 'Even at Kerala Kalamandalam, where the form was institutionalised, the stories we hear about early Mohiniyattam are vague at best. Nobody talks about who the women dancers really were or why their names disappeared.'