Even in Malaysia, traditional forms like Mak Yong and Main Petri are on decline despite support from the federal government. 'Most traditional art forms are on decline in other countries. Ramli Ibrahim, a 58-year-old Odissi dancer, started training students as early as the 1980s. The situation is quite different in countries such as Malaysia. But wherever I have performed, the audience has responded well,'' she says.

'It's difficult to find an audience for Mohiniattam in Germany, there isn't enough awareness about Indian classical dance. Dietrich, who also dances hip-hop and jazz, has taken Mohiniattam to Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and even performed in a church, depicting a chapter of Krishna's life. What drew me to Mohiniattam was the softness of its form,'' says Dietrich who is doing a PhD on teaching methodology of contemporary and classical dance in Leipzig. 'Contemporary ballet has a lot of straight lines. German contemporary dancer Anne Dietrich took to Mohiniattam in 2005 and trained at the Kerala Kalamandalam. While Bharatnatyam is one of the more popular Indian dance forms abroad, Mohiniattam too is fast gaining ground.

You only see them if there is some Bollywood performance,'' says the 33-year-old. 'There are not many male classical dancers in South Africa.

The gender imbalance among classical dancers seems to be the same in South Africa as in India. Nhlanhla Vincent Zwane from South Africa blends Bharatnatyam with Zulu dance he has been learning since age 9. She told me what I was doing was Kuchipudi and that I should take it up seriously,'' says Irina, the first Kuchipudi dancer from Russia, who also enjoyed watching Mithun Chakraborty's Disco Dancer. Then one day Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi came to attend a cultural programme where I was performing. 'I was fascinated and would try to imitate steps from the movie. Irina speaks about her childhood when she got hooked to the dance form after watching the Sudha Chandran-starrer, Naache Mayuri. However, ballet's loss was Kuchipudi's gain. Coming from the land of Anna Pavlova, she was keen on ballet as a child but wasn't allowed to learn the art. Both are in the capital to perform in the ongoing International Dance Festival hosted by the International Council for Cultural Relations. Indonesian Aila El-Edross, a student of the great Birju Maharaj, is a freelance journalist back home. Kathak dancer Zhang Jinghui from Beijing has a day job as an accountant. It is not just professional dancers doing the mudras. NEW DELHI: In countries as far flung as Germany, South Africa, Malaysia and Russia, Indian classical dances - Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam - are not only making an impression but also getting a new, bold twist, thanks to foreigners passionate about these dances.

Dance forms in india