| Duration | 60 min |
| Part of | Sideways |
More Woman, More Life
In a Western world driven by efficiency and productivity, there’s little room to return to the body and truly feel. Devi places the essential yet often undervalued feminine forces at its center. Three female dancers navigate the balance between reason and intuition, structure (Devi) and surrender, action and reflection (Deva).
This dance performance offers space to turn inward and rediscover the value of the feminine. A refreshing breath of air — and quintessentially Poernima, who also breaks through the rigid boundaries within Bharatanatyam, the classical South Indian dance form.
Dancer and choreographer Poernima Gobardhan is trained in Bharatanatyam, the classical South Indian dance form. Born in The Hague, she began dancing and choreographing at an early age, and in 2007 she completed her studies in Modern Indian Dance in Mumbai. At the age of fifteen, she founded her own dance school, Pretima Ke Dewashrie, where she creates her own pieces and collaborates on various projects. With her school, she has appeared on television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, Holland’s Got Talent, and De Wereld Draait Door.
Poernima’s artistic journey is driven by a desire to break through the rigid structures of classical tradition. After completing her Bharatanatyam training in 2012 under the guidance of teacher Jolanda Boejharat, she discovered new layers and unexplored paths within the dance form. Since then, she has experienced Bharatanatyam as an all-encompassing art form — one that lies at the heart of her artistic practice.
Since 2018, Gobardhan has been delving deeper into the personal meaning of feminine strength, and how it is shaped and influenced by social and cultural norms.
Crew & Credits
Poernima Gobardhan Dance Company
Choreography: Poernima Gobardhan
Coach: Leo Spreksel
Music: Jorg Schellekens and Vidwan S.V. Giridhar
Lighting Design: Albert Tulling
Costume: Jivika Biervliet
Photography: Camilla Greenwell