Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum

Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum in Thiruvananthapuram is a treasure trove of information on classical dance forms of India and traces their history and evolution. Exquisitely designed, this impressive edifice is possibly the best tribute that can be paid to Kathakali maestro Guru Gopinath who chose to evolve a new dance form, Kerala Natanam. The first phase of the development of the Museum is completed magnificently and attracts many art lovers. The second phase of enriching the museum is revamping the present infrastructure and the complete digitalisation of it is in the pipeline. A walk through the ten galleries gives a comprehensive look at various dance forms within the country, classical, tribal and folk areas. Dedicated spaces have been allocated for sculpted replicas of dance poses from temples, the connection between patron dynasties and dance forms, costumes and make-up for different styles. Kerala has a significant number of worship-linked performances, and all of these - Mudiyettu, Theyyam, Padayani, and Thirayattam, to name a few are represented here. Chau, Gotipua, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Bhangra featured here are indicative of how inclusive the display is.