Hyderabad based Dr Mythili Anoop is a professional Mohiniattam danseuse, teacher and writer. For more than a decade, Mythili has been a professional Mohiniattam exponent, performing for some of the most prestigious festivals both in India and abroad, winning accolades and appreciation for her elegant and immaculate performances.

Mythili says "I have learnt Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi but I felt that the sensibility and sensuousness of Mohiniattam suits my personality the most, hence I switched over to Mohiniattam completely. While every classical dance has its beauty and technique,  I felt that Mohiniattam which is described as the dance of the enchantress, has an innate aesthetic quality, which indeed is the specialty and the hallmark of this classical dance of Kerala, characterized with graceful, lyrical, and slow movements which  is compared to  the swaying palm trees of Kerala. It is not easy to perform slowly, as you have enough time to execute the movement properly with grace, while maintaining the rhythmic cycle of the item or composition performed”.

Sringara (love, beauty) is the pre-dominant emotion depicted through the medium of varied stories from the Hindu mythology that proclaims the inter-relationship and the philosophy of life of man and God. In other words the interaction between the "jeevatam"(human soul) and the "Parmatma"(divine soul). Varied movements, gestures, gesticulations, "hasta mudras"(hand gestures) are used to portray the different stories.

Dancing is indeed a wonderful recreation that is relaxing and rejuvenating and an art form that combines the mind, body and the spirit. Classical dance is the expression of the soul, the varied movements and the body is the medium to reach out to the supreme being.

Mythili was initiated to Mohiniattam by the veteran mentor Kalamandalam Kshemavathy and Gopika Varma. Mythili has also attended the workshops conducted by another veteran mentor, Dr Nirmala Panikkar. Mythili has done research on the semiotics of Mohiniattam that pertains to as to how classical dance could become a medium of communication through dance vocabulary of varied gestures, hand gestures and movements, without the verbal use of words, which is primarily used to communicate. Mythili has established her dance academy known as "Moham".

In the Balamuralikrishna composition "Omkarakarini"- Devi Keerthana, the dancer portrays the varied aspects of the goddess, as the goddess of power and vitality, who is loving, compassionate and the destroyer of evil, "tripurasundari"(goddess of three worlds), who is "Varadayani" and "Jeevadayani", the one who gives boons and life to her devotees, who are sincere and honest. Mythili performed this number with devotion and elegance, maintaining the sanctity of the composition.

Mythili is waiting to scale greater heights as a classical dancer and can be contacted at mythili.moham@gmail.com.

By Guru Vijay Shanker