Vijayalakshmi Keeps Audience Engaged In Mohiniyattam Workshop

India-West Staff Reporter

ALISO VIEJO, CA – Acclaimed danseuse Vijayalakshmi, founder-director of The Mohiniyattam Institute in Southern California, kept audiences listening and watching attentively during an introductory workshop on the dance form at the Festival of Tabla, held at the Soka Performing Arts Centre on August 16.

The festival, spearheaded by Rupesh and Mona Kotecha, has been promoting traditional Indian classical music, particularly the Tabla, since 2017.

Vijayalakshmi said she was delighted to see the 175-seat Black Box Theatre full, with a diverse audience that also actively engaged in a Q&A session, asking thought-provoking questions about the dance form and its cultural significance.

During the workshop, Vijayalakshmi emphasized that Mohiniyattam is steeped in femininity and the divine feminine, highlighting its healing, therapeutic, and empowering qualities, especially for women of all ages and dance experience. She described the dance as anti-aging and compared its slow, meditative movements to Chinese martial arts such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

“The movements are energetically restorative,” she explained. “The elaborate hand gestures, or mudras, help release stuck emotions, reduce stress, and contribute to overall well-being—mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical.”

Participants had the opportunity to experience the dance firsthand, learning the techniques and spirit of Mohiniyattam through guided practice. Many expressed that they left the workshop with a deeper appreciation for Indian classical dance and a personal sense of renewal.

Vijayalakshmi also highlighted the importance of exposing U.S. audiences to a broader spectrum of Indian dance traditions, encouraging open-minded engagement with the country’s rich cultural heritage.