In 2013, several of Smitha Krishnan’s friends reached out, asking if she was available to teach Mohiniyattam — a form of classical Indian dance originating from the southern state of Kerala — to them and their children. A dancer since childhood, Krishnan, the artistic director of Mohini Dance School, started training in Indian classical dance at age 4, moving into Mohiniyattam six years later. In 1995, Krishnan moved to the United States to pursue her master’s degree, graduating five years later with two degrees: one in Urban Planning and one in Civil Engineering. She now works for the city of Kirkland, but she spends much of her spare time and energy on Mohini Dance School — teaching classes and choreography extravagant, evening-length shows. 

“It started out very grassroots at the beginning,” Krishnan says of the school’s first few years, “but by 2015, we had more and more enrollments, so we went ahead and registered the business. It is volunteer-run, and any funds we generate go back into the school, operating costs, or putting together our shows.”  In its decade of operation, the group has performed at the Soorya Festival, the largest festival for performing arts in India, the Northwest Folklife Festival, and The Seattle Theatre Group’s Dance This showcase.

This weekend, Mohini Dance School will premiere its fourth stage production, Woman With No Wings, at Cornish Playhouse. It is the school’s largest and most ambitious show yet: The production features more than 60 local performers, including 50 dancers, a dozen drama artists, and a host of volunteers. It will include four styles of classic Indian dance, as well as contemporary choreography. 

“The theme is mental health awareness, which is a topic very dear to me due to my own personal experiences,” says Krishnan. “Woman With No Wings looks at the story of Cleopatra who, as a young girl, is thrown into chaos and has to deal with all of the challenges of living in a patriarchal society while also fighting her inner demons. While her life ended in tragedy, we’ve changed the script to focus on her journey of overcoming her struggles and coming to terms with them.”

Mohini Dance School was founded a decade ago to promote the classic Indian dance form Mohiniyattam.

Photo courtesy of Mohini Dance School

Unlike many performing arts organizations, which mount shows yearly (if not more frequently), Mohini Dance School puts out a production about every two years. The timeline is based mainly on the amount of research, planning, recruiting, choreography, and original music that go into each debut. Every detail — from the costumes and jewelry to the song lyrics—is painstakingly overseen by Krishnan, who, for Woman With No Wings, will play Queen Cleopatra next to her co-teacher Manju Jyothish, in the role of Counselor Charmian. 

“The first six months is mostly me working on my own research and writing, as well as the flow of the show, the dances, and the music,” she says of the process. “The next six months are dedicated to the production of the music and choreography, and after that, the next year is all about teaching the dances and pulling everyone together.” 

Krishnan travels to India during each show cycle to work with various collaborators on costume and music production. “The instrumentation is done in India,” she says. “Part of that is it being more cost effective, and for the same cost we can have more artists involved and bring a larger variety of instrumentation to the show. Some songs have up to 20 instruments in them.” 

Aside from familiarizing the Northwest with Mohiniyattam and other forms of classical Indian dance, Krishnan hopes to bring awareness to issues around mental health and encourage open communication around the topic. “So far, our audiences have been primarily the South Asian community, where mental health is still very much a stigma,” Krishnan says. “There is a lot of resistance to talking about it, and I think seeing role models who have dealt with their own mental health struggles but are doing well in life can help.”

Mohini Dance School’s 2022 production of Nirvana.

Photo courtesy of Mohini Dance School

On Sunday, Sept. 29, Mohini Dance School is partnering with Washington state organization Crisis Connections to host a post-show discussion on the themes of metal health, inner strength, and resilience. “If can spark a conversation, especially in South Asian or Indian families,” says Krishnan, “then I would call the show a success.”

Woman With No Wings runs Sept. 27-29 at Cornish Playhouse. Tickets here.