THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A juma masjid putting up a flex board to celebrate a schoolgirl’s prize in Kerala Natanam can seem a tad unusual. In Jamsheena Jamal’s hometown, however, that was how the community celebrated her state-level prize in Kerala Natanam when she was in Class 10. That was only an early sign that Jamsheena’s journey in classical dance would challenge many familiar assumptions. Now, she has secured first rank in MA mohiniyattam from MG University.
“We keep hearing stories from different places about restrictions, about things being stopped. But my experience was not like that. For me, it was always encouraging. That kind of support makes a difference,” she says.
Jamsheena, who hails from Kochi, did her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in mohiniyattam at RLV Government College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura.
“I had finished my degree as a rank holder in 2022, but I missed first place by a small margin. So securing the top rank in MA is doubly sweet,” she says. “Artists are sometimes seen only through their performances. However, being able to do well academically too is a big thing for me.”
Jamsheena’s association with dance began when she was three, with bharatanatyam lessons under Kalamandalam Geetha. She swayed towards mohiniyattam in Class 7, and has currently been training under Padma Shri Kalamandalam Kshemavathy
Classical dance was not a conventional choice for a girl from her background, but Jamsheena says she never had to argue for it.
At home, art was always around her. Her father, T A Jamal, a theatre artist, noticed early how readily she responded to rhythm and how her feet instinctively moved to music.
Her mother, Sheeba, who had also learnt bharatanatyam as a child, encouraged her throughout the journey. “I was fortunate that neither my family nor the people around me questioned my choices. I never had to explain or justify what I was doing,” she says.
Over the years, Jamsheena expanded her training beyond mohiniyattam. “I performed my kathakali arangettam playing Krishna vesham at Guruvayur’s Melpathur Auditorium. I performed a segment from Duryodhanavadham,” says Jamsheena.
Her growing repertoire has taken her to prestigious platforms, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Bhaav National Dance Festival, Tribhangi, and festivals organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
She is also a graded artist with Doordarshan and a recipient of Kerala Kalamandalam’s Yuvaprathibha Award. Alongside dance, she has appeared in films including Valiyaperunnal, Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalleriyatte, Pravu and Manasavacha.
“Dance remains my priority. When I step onto the stage, everything else fades. There is only the art and that moment. It’s like a trance that’s difficult to explain,” she says. “I want to keep learning, performing, and reaching more people through my work. If I can grow to a point where my name is recognised in mohiniyattam, that would mean I have done justice to what I have learned.”