At a time when Mohiniyattam dance form was pining away in Kerala, Bharathi`s a secret rendezvous with Mohiniyattam began. Bharathi Shivajii by then was already much admired as a Bharatanatyam dancer. But she decided to follow up on research in Mohiniyattam. Eventually Mohiniyattam became the cause of her life. In the refabrication of the Mohiniyattam dance form, she has played a substantial role.
In order to imbibe the regional ethos, Bharati moved around in a widespread way in Kerala. In the due course she came to interact with several regional art forms and their characteristics and studied the `desi` traditions of Kerala. To Bharathi Shivajii, Lasya, the feminine spirit has a special importance in Mohiniyattam dance form. This feminine spirit constitutes the quintessential part of Mohiniyattam.
Bharathi Shivajii has been inducted to the domain of dance under the tutelage of Smt. Radha Marar and Kalamandalam Satyabhama and later Smt. Kalyani Kutty Amma. They altogether helped her to be enlightened by spending many years with great masters, researching literary, sculptural and musical sources on the origins of this art. She has widened the once-stagnant repertory by integrating her research with her performance. Thus a fresh lease of life came to the way of this form of dance. Bharathi has done all-encompassing work on the `geetha govindam` text.
From the 14th century, the Ashtapadis have been sung in the temples of Kerala. Bharati as a consummate singer has journeyed to several temples in Kerala. During her journey, she has documented the unique musical tradition, which is known as sopanam. Bharathi Shivajii has been reckoned as the first dancer to unite into a whole the Geetha Govindam ashtapadis, which was sung in the Sopana tradition, into the Mohiniyattam repertoire. These all have added a new dimension to the art form.
Bharathi has attempted to bring together the gurus of various schools of Mohiniyattam on a common platform. Several seminars, conferences, and workshops on Mohiniyattam have been conducted by her. Bharathi Shivaji is regarded as the Founder-Director of Centre for Mohiniattom.
Institution established by her utterly conducts training and research into Mohiniyattam to drawing a bead on students. She has also authored a comprehensive text, on Mohiniyattam in English. "The Art of Mohiniattam" . This book, written by her is an apogee of the first-hand experience of digging into the traditional arts of Kerala.
From Smt. Lalita Sastri, Bharati Shivaji has also obtained training in the Bharatanatyam. She has been widely acclaimed throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Mohiniattam, performed by her is marked by uttermost grace and flexibility of movement. The distinctive characteristic of her Bharatanatyam is geometrical exactness and technical finesse. Bharati Shivaji is well known for the excogitations she has introduced.
