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Preetha, Sunitha, Shreya, Trishya, Preeti, Manju and Renuka was equally excited as I was, when a trip was organised by Indo American Cultural and Religious Foundation during May - June 2007.
The shows went on stage at various places - New York, New Jersey, Houston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Chicago Thyagaraja Utsavam in the US and in Canada.
My students were thrilled to receive gifts and certificates appreciating the performance. |
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Following the shows, I was offered to conduct a workshop for 150 children in Canada. The children are students of 'Sathangai Narthanalaya' run by guru Vasu. The workshop went on for two months. The overwhelming response to this workshop was another surprise for me!
Teaching the students in Canada was a wonderful experience. It was amazing that to see the way they grasped my dance style. The air was vibrant - thanks to the eagerness of the students. It opened up my mind to create thematic presentations in an altogether different creative format.
The students at this workshop were keen in learning the various Indian forms ranging from instrumental music, Vocal music to dance forms. I encouraged them to visit India, specifically Chennai, during the December music and dance festival season. I thought it would open up their world of learning and understanding of our Indian culture. |
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As an artiste, I felt responsible to make the students understand the need to carry on our culture and heritage though they were living in the western world!
I found the Indian students abroad were very to know about Indian Culture. Whenever any artiste from India visits them, they ensure that they spend their time learning the nuances of the art from the artistes.
A lot of attention is given to developing Tamil in Canada.
It was heartening to see the students attending Tamil literature classes. I found them take exams from the Annamalai University, India for dance.
It is amazing to see the distance they travel to attend the various classes. |
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