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 The
magical beauty of music and dance has spurred me on to learn
this priceless treasure beamed Beatrice from Belgium who has
found solace learning the art forms,. I unleashed my unpeu
French to converse with her. A polyglot she is conversant in
English and spoke about her pedigree, when I met her during the
December music season. Her parents have a penchant for theater
and music but Beatrice pursued her career in theater with
aplomb. She learnt western classical music and forayed into
theater. After learning the nitty-gritty of acting she started
teaching and became well versed with the intricacies of the
theater. Her rendezvous with Compagnie Ricocohet made her delve
deeply into the world of theatre. “We have enacted plays of
Shakespeare,Moliere etal as I am a theater buff”. declared
Beatrice. She came tete-a-tete with Indian art forms when she
visited Chennai for Vipassana meditation. “I decided to learn
Kathakali and Bharathanatyam as I got intoxicated with the dance
forms and the culture which blends with the contemporary life
style”, exclaimed the lass.
After learning Kathakali for a short time she has stepped into the world
of Bharatanatyam and is now under the tutelage of Sujatha Mohan a
bharatanatyam dancer and a guru. “I am learning the glowing diamonds of
the Indian art”, chuckled Beatrice who is in awe of our priceless
treasure. As variety is the spice of life she is also learning Konnakol(
oral mnemonics) under the guidance of the renowned mridangist Neyveli
Venkatesh. For a foreigner who is cocooned in their own life style
Beatrice is a different person. She broke the ice and embarked on an
artistic journey to India to imbibe the myriad layers of art forms. “I
am enamored with Indian culture which encompasses diverse art forms into
its fold”, quipped the culture lover who is keen on learning our art
forms which is based on eternal values.
 Vanakkam is her brain child which she has produced with le
theater ocean nord ,It reflects the soul and spirit of India and
showcases the intellectual acumen of Beatrice. It has applauded
by the connoisseurs ,cognescenti and the layman as she
faithfully journeyed through the Indian art forms and culture.
Her interest span a wide range of topics which includes her love
for kolam, flowers ethnic jewellery, temples ,Carnatic vocal.and
all that is Indian. I was astonished to see her draw an
intricate Pullikolam with an array of floral designs with rice
flour competitively shocking the Chennaivasis. She regularly
visits Chennai during the December music season which is mega
event in the city's cultural landscape. “I am on cultural
excursion to India ever year to unravel the treasure”, laughs
Beatrice who is eagerly waiting for the music season.
Mira
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