Monday, Nov 14, 2005
Dancing Indian Nun Puts Estonians Through Their Paces
|
|
As another long, dark winter enshrouds the northernmost of the Baltic states, a band of girls gathers in a convent in Tallinn, not to share the warmth of communal prayer but to study the art of bodily expression with a dancing nun from India.
 Girls dance in a convent in Tallinn
© AFP Raigo PajulaTALLINN (AFP) - Sister Creszenzia, 37, originally from Calicut in the south Indian state of Kerala, has been giving Indian dance lessons at the convent since her arrival in Estonia four years ago.
"When I see Estonians performing these dances with such grace, my heart fills with pride," she said after a recent class.
"People here are said to be reserved and unwilling to show emotions, but I have the opposite impression," she added.
Most of Sister Creszenzia's pupils are young, between seven and 17.
"The dancing is very hard -- like a fitness program -- and afterwards I am very tired," said Ingrid Aavola, 17, who has attended classes since they began four years ago.
"But I like it a lot, partly because Sister Crescenzia is a very joyful nun," she added.
In September, the Sister's youthful dance troupe gave a performance to mark the ordination of French-born Philippe Jourdan as the first Catholic bishop since World War II in this overwhelmingly Lutheran country.
 A nun in a convent in Tallinn
© AFP Raigo Pajula"Indian dances tell a story with the body," Sister Crescenzia explained. The saga performed for Jourdan's ordination was "about unhappy love -- the battle of a young couple whose feelings were denounced by their families, resulting in the death of the boy," she said.
And how did the good bishop feel about this rather spicy dance drama?
"I think it is very positive that the convent offers these girls the possibility to learn Indian dance," he said. "I liked their dancing, it was rather exotic."
"True feelings are nothing to be ashamed about," said Sister Crescenzia, whose given name was Mary. "I was in love myself when I was a young girl in India but now my soul is dedicated to God."
A convent has stood on the site where the dance classes are held since 1419. But only in 2001 -- after a break of several centuries -- did nuns once again take up residence in the renovated complex, which includes a church and hostel, built by the Sisters of the Order of St. Birgitta.
The nuns wake up every morning at 5:45, say their first prayer at 6:10 and then attend mass at 7:30. Once a month every nun has a free day -- she can sleep in but still has to pray.
"A nun's life has changed a lot in recent decades, for the better. The dance course is proof of that," Sister Creszenzia said.
Other nuns in the convent have different hobbies. Mexican-born Mother Riccarda, who heads the convent, practices ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
"These days people value money too much. They should cherish their families more and look for happiness in less materialistic things. In poor countries like Mexico and India, people seem somehow happier than in the rich West," the mother superior said.
The nuns in Tallinn are also involved in charitable activities, such as helping homeless children.
Over the years, even some prostitutes have knocked on their door requesting support and guidance to a new life.
Estonia's 1.33 million people are mainly Lutheran, with a minuscule Catholic community numbering around 6,000.
 View and Post comment on this article
© 2005 AFP. All rights of reproduction and distribution reserved. All information displayed on this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. |
