Kerala community hosts multicultural extravaganza (From Echo)

Southend's Kerala community hosts multicultural extravaganza

12:50pm Tuesday 17th March 2009 in Search By Max Orbach

MUSICIANS and dancers promoted global harmony at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff by bringing together dance forms from around the world.

More than 500 people attended the Cultural Saga dance event, which included exotic dance styles from India and Africa alongside a group of Morris dancers from Kent, representing the UK.

The performance was organised by Southend Malayalee Association, whose membership consists of people from Kerala – a state in South-west India.

Siju Nair, the joint secretary of the Malayalee Association, said: “A lot of people here don’t know much about their cultural backgrounds, so we decided to set up a multicultural event where all the communities come together, so they can know each other’s cultures as well as their own.”

Bollywood dancers were on hand to provide some of the entertainment at the invitation-only event, but Kerala performers also took the the stage with their own native dance, the Thiruvathira.

Mr Nair explained: “It is a kind of ritual performed to ensure happy and harmonious marital life.

“This festival is exclusively for womenfolk, and only women are allowed to perform it.”

Speaking about his home region, he added: “It’s a part of India with a strong identity. We have our own language and our own cultural traditions.

“There must be more than 100 families from Kerala here in Southend. Most of them work for the NHS or in nursing homes.”