It was mandatory in my family culture that young girls learn dance and music, the traditional dances like Bharathnatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kathakali, as well as Carnatic music. And I was inducted into a well known school of art to learn them.

The theory part included learning about the various dance formats, stories, and most importantly the costume. They all were different and made of especially made fabrics suited for these types of dance performances. The other distinguishing character was that they were all very colorful and worn in different ways. For example the dress the woman is wearing in the picture above would be made of a cotton material with a bit of stretch to allow freedom of movement.

When I read this blog by Briana Blasko, all those distant memories flash through my mind……