A seven-member dance troupe from the Netherlands and
Suriname was in Chennai recently to perform Bharatanatyam at the
Mamallapuram Dance festival. Five of them traced their ancestry to
India. The Dutch dancers of Indian descent said their great
grandfathers travelled to various countries in search of better
opportunities.
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| Bharatnatyam |
Madhoerie Jagmohan, who led the
troupe, said she forayed into Kathak in the late 1970s. She later
learnt Bharatnatyam from a teacher in Bangalore and there was no
turning back. Soon after her arangetram (maiden public performance), she set up a dance school in the Netherlands.
All members of the troupe lead an active professional life back home. Leonie Schalkelaar, who performed at Mamallapuram last year too, works in a rehabilitation centre for adults who have suffered brain damage in accidents. Surayda Mahboob, a third generation Indian who traces her ancestry to Agra, is a doctor involved in the “healthcare needs” of children. Sadhana Mohan, a fourth generation Indian from Suriname, specialises in law and manages finances in her father’s company.
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| The seven-member dance troupe from the Netherlands and Suriname |
All members of the troupe lead an active professional life back home. Leonie Schalkelaar, who performed at Mamallapuram last year too, works in a rehabilitation centre for adults who have suffered brain damage in accidents. Surayda Mahboob, a third generation Indian who traces her ancestry to Agra, is a doctor involved in the “healthcare needs” of children. Sadhana Mohan, a fourth generation Indian from Suriname, specialises in law and manages finances in her father’s company.
“We work
for the Ministry of Tourism and travel across Scandinavian countries to
promote India,” said Aartie Jagmohan, who runs the dance school her
mother started in Holland.
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