The dancers are dressed in traditional red and green identical salwars with bright red bangles on their hands, bindis on their forehead, nose studs, jhumka in their ears, dark kohl lining their eyes and their hair in plaits. The only give away are the blonde tresses of Lilia and their Greek looks.
Tonja and Lilia from Greece are part of the Ganesha Troupe, which claims to be the first Bollywood Dance troupe in Greece. Founded in 2011 by Bollywood instructor and choreographer Lucrecia Fournarakou, the troupe has seven members including Lucrecia, whose aim is to spread Indian dance style throughout Greece.
Lilia and Tonja, two dancers from the troupe, were in Kerala to visit friends and also catch up on the food, culture and sights of the land. Tonja used to be a journalist and Lilia is a pharmacist.
Already besotted with the traditional dance forms and the life style of Kerala, the girls visited several dance centres to learn and get a better grasp about the various forms. Tonja says, “We watched Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu performances. We love watching the graceful dancers move to the enchanting music.”
Complimenting her on the impeccable traditional mode of dressing, Tonja frankly says, “Till I met Lucrecia, all I knew was that Indian women wore sarees and have a traditional outlook. But Lucrecia gave me Indian films to watch and told me about the various actors and so much about India in general that we spent nights talking only about India. I started watching movies by myself and began browsing the net to know more about India and Kerala.” Pointing to her bangles, anklets and bindis, Tonja mentions, “I started searching for the right kind of accessories even before I made the trip.” She adds, “I love the chocolate colour of Indian skin and have been sitting under the sun trying to get a tan. I really don’t understand why women here want to become fair.”
Lilia is the one who is more excited about her trip. “We love Malayalam movies, especially those of Dulquer Salmaan and I am a big fan of his. I went to watch his recent film OK Kanmani and really wished that I could have met him in person. Other than him, I also like Allu Arjun and Ram Charan Theja.” Seeing my surprised expression, she continues, “We get to see all the movies on the net so we are very familiar with all the actors and I am also learning Hindi.”
The others in the troupe include Christina, Elena, Elisavet and Marialena. All committed dancers, these women met through the Internet and common friends before becoming members of the troupe.
Lilia says, “Till five years back, Indian dance was an alien concept but Lucrecia has spread the colors, attitude and flavors of India through her dance troupe in Greece. We are seven different personalities but what connects us is our passion for Indian dance.” The troupe performs all kinds of dances like Bhangra, Bollywood style, Kathak, and includes elements of Kathakali and Oddissi in their repertoire. They have performed at theatre festivals, on stage and on the television. They have even conducted the first Indian dance-styled flash mob in Greece.
Just back from visiting Athirampilly and Alleppy, they are making plans to visit Fort Kochi. Tonja says, “We cannot get enough of taking in the sights. We visited the spice markets and tried out all the different foods. But biryani is what has us hooked. There are a lot of Indians in Greece owning very successful businesses, mostly restaurants, so we do get to taste Indian food quite frequently.”
The duo also found a lot of similarities between Greece and Kerala. “Ancient Greeks believed in many Gods and had an almost similar kind of attire. The people here are very sweet and gentle like back home.” Before leaving they quip, “Guess want? We are going to have biryani again.”
