Kerala has a rich repertoire of folk dances. They reflect the temperaments and moods of the localities in music and costumes and are highly developed.  sowing of seeds festivals etc.  Most of the folk dances are performed to the accompaniment of songs, which are sung by the dancers themselves or occasionally by a group of musicians. Some are performed to the accompaniment of musical instruments only

The Thiruvathirakali: It is a celebration of the Birthday of Lord Siva in the Malayalam month of ‘Dhanu’ the astral day of Thiruvathira. Goddess Parvathy is supposed to have danced with her companions on this auspicious day. So even to this day the women of Kerala, in groups of sixteen or twenty dance round a lamp or floral decoration to celebrate the Lord’s Birthday. The dance is accompanied by the Thiruvathira Pattu or song. There is another form of Thiruvathira Kali called Kummi. These who participate in the dance stand in a circle and move attractively, clapping their hands.

The Oppana: It is a particular type of group song and dance performed during a Muslim marriage. This social entertainment is prevalent particularly in the Districts of Malapuram, Calicut and Kannur. It is usually performed by ladies. This song is said to be 600 years old. On the wedding eve the bride is made to sit in the centre, dressed in all her finery and her friends and relatives stand all round her clapping their hands, singing and dancing. Harmonium and Tabla are some of the Instruments used while singing. It is usually performed during night and the duration of the performance depends upon the length of the song.

The Koothu & Koodiyattam:   It is usually performed inside a hall specially designed for the purpose, the Koothambalam as it is known. There are different types of Koothu like Chakiar Koothu, Nambiar Koothu, Tholpavakoothu etc. It is a Temple art usually performed in Temples during Festivals. Chakiar Koothu usually represented Sanskrit Dramas and Tholpavakoothu Tamil dramas and is performed by a single character. But in Koodiyattom there are two are more characters. The Cahkiar usually plays the part of a buffoon, whereas Koodiyattom represents events from mythology.
Tholpavakoothu is enacted on a stage built near the temple. This is actually a puppet show and the dialogues of the characters or puppets are spoken by artists behind the screen. The stories are based on an ‘Kampa’ version of Ramayana written by the Tamil Poet Kampa. The languages used is a mixture of Tamil and Sanskrit.

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