Foundational Mohiniyattam Lessons for Beginners

This beginner course gives the enrolled students the aim to master Mohiniyattam dance steps and use the platform as an opportunity to learn from an exponent of the dance form. Literally meaning “the Dance of the Enchantress,” this ancient form of artistic expression is rooted in femininity, grace, and beauty. Hailing from South India, Mohiniyattam is known for its distinctive swaying of the torso combined with subtle glances, posture, and gait. This online ,live course is designed for beginners, intermediate as well advanced students of Mohiniyattam, both males and females.

At the beginning of the course, each student ( beginner and intermediate) learns :

1)The background and history of this ancient dance form, its social and anthropologial background that has helped shape and evolve this dance form.

2) Special body conditioning excercises designed by me exclusively for the preparation and conditioning of the body so that it is ready for Mohiniyattam.

3)Training in Chuzhyipu or learning how to locate and loosen ones torso.

4)Teaching the hand gestures (mudras), sitting positions, gaits (charis), neck (greeva), head (shira) , eyes (drishti), and eyebrow(bhrukuti) movements relevant to Mohiniyattam, according to the Natyashastra (ancient treatise on dance music and theatre).

5)The Indian art of expression.

6) Once the basic are done, students delve into the standard steps of the dance, such as chovuda sadanams as designed by Padmashri Guru Bharathi Shivaji .

7) Adavus are then taught with detailed and painstaking effort in order to convey the minute nuances of the dance form in the best way possible.

8)As the course progresses, pieces of classical music in the Sopana style are introduced as students are instructed on how to flow from one movement to another naturally. After the successful completion of the course, students will have a greater ability to express themselves through classical Indian Mohiniyattam tradition.

Items are taught as per the chronology of the repertoire.

Taught by master dancer and teacher, Momm Chatterjee Ganguly, this course is tailored to meet the student at their basic ,intermediate as well as advanced levels.

The exclusively advanced level students have a different course:

1) Items from the repertoire on module basis(each item would come for a separate fee, including studio recorded music)

2) The training of the process of creating a choreography

3) Arranging dance (re-arranging the choreographies handed down to us by our gurus)

4) Overall grooming and presentation of a stage performance/performer.

About the teacher: Momm Chatterjee is a renowned classical dancer and accomplished performer, both at home and abroad. Hailing from a Bengali family of musicians and dancers, Momm began training at an early age with Guru Shakti Nag, and later with Padmashree Guru Smt Bharati Shivaji of Delhi. She holds a master’s of fine arts degree in dance from Rabindra Bharati University and has been performing classical Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam dances for over three decades. Her facial expressions, supple body movements, and striking stage presence make her a dancer in the truest sense of the word. Currently, Momm Chatterjee teaches dance from her studio in Kolkata and performs at festivals all over the world.