A french love for Mohiniyattam

KOCHI: Brigette Chataignier, a French woman  had come to Kerala 25 years ago to learn Mohiniyattam, and fell in love with the dance form. She had been accompanied by her husband Michael Lestreha who was keen on learning Kathakali. Both of them joined Kalamandalam. “I learnt dance for seven years under the guidance of notable masters Kalamandalam Leelamma, Kalamandalam Kshemavathi and Sri Devi,” says Brigitte.Recollecting the years in Kerala in the late 80s, she says, “At that time, tourism was just catching up. Most of the dance performances used to be held in temples. So I would perform there." Slowly, she realised that she was developing an affinity towards Hinduism. So, she approached the Arya Samaj and got converted. "Now I am ‘Savitri’,” she says, with a smile. The family, along with their two children, Shankar and Jaya, reside at Cheruthuruthy in Shoranur. Today, Brigette has blond hair, smeared with oil, and walks gracefully, with a red bindhi, traditional ornaments and a Kerala saree. Brigette is a Professor teaching the History of Theatre at the University of Rennes in France. She is also the Director of the Performing Arts Department. Brigette has performed at the Soorya Film Festival and also had the opportunity to be a significant part of the short film on Mohiniyattam ‘Dance of the Enchantress’ by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. She is in the process of compiling a book on Mohiniyattam, which will come out as a combined work with her friend Brigitte Prost, who is also a Professor in History of Theatre at the university. A couple of days back, Prost, along with Brigette, gave a talk on Mohiniyattam. They spoke of  how the art form has influenced Western theatre and contemporary dance. Prost, who is engaged in research on the art form, is not keen to learn it herself. But for Brigette, performing Mohiniyattom is what she lives for. She does a lot of travelling all around the world conducting workshops and performances. Visiting holy places in India is also routine for her. Brigette formed a cultural association, ‘Companie Prana’, in France in 1995. She  aims to combine traditional and modern art forms and to encourage students in conducting research on the conservation of cultural heritage, while making new productions.