Abinayam association
From Toulouse, Sumathi Gaston Sriraj teaches and stages the dances of India and Sri Lanka — from Bollywood to bharatanatyam, from folk traditions to original stage work.
Upcoming events
Colour · Grace · Tradition
An evening presented by the Les Perles de Jaffna and Abinayam associations, with guest artists from France and beyond.
Let the magic carry you away: colour, grace and tradition, from classical tableaux to full Bollywood staging.
Kathak, modern Bollywood, lavani and garba
Two days of workshops with guest artists: a dancer from India for kathak and modern Bollywood, and Swapnil, from Belgium, for lavani and garba.
Technique and expression, all levels welcome.
Saturday 3 October — MJC Jacques Prévert, 292 route de Seysses.
Sunday 4 October — Salle polyvalente des Pradettes, 6 rue Ferdinand de Lesseps.
Dancer, choreographer and teacher
Sumathi Gaston Sriraj teaches Indian dance in and around Toulouse, through the Abinayam association. She also leads Les Perles de Jaffna, the company founded in 2011 around a simple idea: to share, pass on and celebrate the richness of Indian and Sri Lankan cultures.
From a beginners' class for children to a full stage production, her work follows one line — the precision of the gesture, and what it tells.
Our dances
Cinema dance
Bollywood — a blend of Bombay and Hollywood — is the name of the Indian film industry based in Mumbai. Its dance fuses classical, folk and popular Indian traditions with an ever-stronger Western influence: a highly rhythmic language built on the coordination of every part of the body. Kollywood is its Tamil counterpart, born of the Chennai film industry in southern India.
Bharata natyam, kathak, odissi, kuchipudi
Bharata natyam, born in Tamil Nadu, is a fully codified dance: it combines a gestural language — eyes, head, hands — with precise rhythmic construction. Every hand position, every glance carries meaning. The company also works on India's other recognised classical forms: kathak from the north, odissi from Odisha and kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh.
Bhangra, garba, kalbelia, lavani
Every region of India has its festive dances. Punjab's bhangra, exuberant and bounding, is the one audiences recognise fastest. Gujarat's garba is danced in a circle, Rajasthan's kalbelia mimics the undulations of the snake, and Maharashtra's lavani combines rhythmic power with theatrical play. These repertoires are regularly explored in workshops with guest artists.
Classes
Six weekly slots across Toulouse and its outskirts, from absolute beginners to advanced dancers.