DOHA
Mando, Dulpods, Dekhni and Corridinho dance forms are a small cultural window of the larger picture which Goa has to offer to guests heading to Goa and also serves to showcase Goa’s rich traditions globally.
Goans settled in different parts of the world try to be cultural ambassadors promoting its culture and a host of things, which are unique to the former Portuguese colony.
Goans in Qatar are no different and always in the forefront in promoting and showcasing Goan traditions at every given opportunity.
On October 6, the Our Lady of Rosary Church Fiesta, on the occasion of the feast, provided a platform for a bunch of young Goan artists to showcase their talents and dazzle the guests, which included the Msgr. Aldo Berardi and Fr Rally Gonzaga, Vicar of the Church, at Our Lady of Rosary Church compound.
Getting the artistes to learn the nuances of a new dance was in itself a herculean task and a huge challenge which the people behind the curtains did with aplomb.
“Yes, we knew we had a big task on hand training some raw talents, some of whom have never been on stage, and the second thing was they have never been exposed to the Corridinho dance, which is a form of Portuguese dance which is popular in Goa,” said John DeSa, one of the many persons who worked behind the scenes to encourage and advise the youngsters.
“Most of the youngsters of the troupe who performed were born and brought up in Goa, so while taking their baby steps with Corridinho dance, they learnt a lot of other things about Goa and its art form and also took steps with other dance forms like Mando, Dulpods and Dekhni,” added John.
“These is the start of many cultural programmes for youngsters in Qatar and may be, it will open the doors to perform in other Middle East countries,” he said on an optimistic tone.
John gave full credit to Carol Gonsalves, Martin Mascarenhas and Anton Joao Vaz and others who worked hard to choreograph the show and motivate the youngsters of the troupe.
“Yes, training the youngsters was a challenge as they never had been exposed to the Corridinho but not difficult, they had tons of energy and a giant will power and a fighting spirit which made things easy, and they took up to the challenge and delivered. Hats off to the young guns and also to the people who worked overtime to make the dance performance happen,” said John.
Added Carol, who is a teacher at Shanti Niketan school in Qatar: “Hopefully, they will get a chance to perform at more Indian community and International events taking place in Qatar and help promote Goa and India’s culture to the rest of the world through the Qatar channel.”
