One of India's main classical dance forms, Mohiniyattam got its name from Mohini, the female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu - using the power of the feminine to defeat evil. Also rooted in the Natya Shastra, this is largely performed by a single dancer who conveys emotion and storytelling with her highly stylized and unique body movements as well as eye and hand gestures, paired with gorgeous costumes and accessories. She is accompanied by drums, flute, cymbals, a stringed instrument called a veena, and sometimes a singer, performing slow, melodic music with lyrics in Manipravalam, a language hybrid of Sanskrit and local Dravidian tongues Tamil and Malayalam.

Read more in Tripatini contributor Go with IPR´s post The Traditional Culture of Kerala, South India: Art, Performances, and Festivals.