Mohiniattam means Mohini's dance. Mohini according to Indian mythology, is a very beautiful woman who attracts people instantly and was an enchantress, thus it is the dance of the enchantress. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu had disguised himself as 'Mohini' with an intention to slay Bhasmasura and also during the churning of nectar from the ocean. But the basis of this dance is not seduction alone. It also signifies transformation of Lord Vishnu into a female form and also the concept of 'Ardhnareeshwara' i.e. male and female as one. Like many other dance forms, this was also restricted to the Devadasis.

The first reference to Mohiniattam is found in 'Vyavaharamala' composed by Mazhamangalam Naryanam Namboodiri, assigned to the 16th century A.D.

In the 19th century Swati Thirunal, the king of erstwhile Travancore, tried to encourage the development of this dance style. But after him, Mohiniattam suffered heavily owing to the exploitation by the Satraps and the Landlords. Poet Vallathol revived it and gave it a status throughout Kerala through Kalamandalam founded in 1930. Kalamandalam Kalyaniamma, and Chinnammu Amma, the last links of a disappearing tradition, nurtured aspirants in the discipline at Kalamandalm.

The theme of Mohiniattam is love and devotion to god. Vishnu or Krishna is more often the hero. The spectators could feel his invisible presence when the heroine or her maid details dreams and ambitions through the circular movements, delicate footsteps and subtle expression. The dancer in the slow and medium tempos is able to find adequate space for improvisations and suggestive bhavas. In format, this is similar to Bharatanatyam. The movements are graceful like Odissi and the costumes sober and attractive. It is essentially a solo dance, but nowadays Mohiniattam is performed in groups also. The repertoire of Mohiniattam follows closely that of Bharatanatyam. Beginning with Cholkettu, the dancer performs Jathiswaram, Varnam, Padam and Thillana in a concert. Varnam combines pure and expressionful dance, while Padam tests the histrionic talent of a dancer and Thillana exposes her technical artistry.

The basic dance steps are the Adavus which are of four kinds : Taganam, Jaganam, Dhaganam and Sammisram. These names are derived from the nomenclature called Vaittari.

Mohiniattam maintains realistic make-up and simple dressing. The dancer are attired in a beautiful white and gold bordered Kasavu saree of Kerala. Mohiniattam like many other form, follows the Hastha Lakshandeepika, as a text book for Mudras, or hand gestures. The style of vocal music for Mohiniattam as is generally seen, is classical Carnatic. The lyrics composed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal and Irayimman Thampi are in Manipravala (a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam). Till recently, Thoppi Maddalam and Veena provided the background music of Mohiniattam. These have been replaced in recent years by the Mridangam and Violin.

Some of the exponents of this dance form are Chinnammu Amma, Kalyani Kuttiamma, Kanak Rele, Sunanda Nair, Deepti Bhalla and Bharati Shivaji.