Current and former students of St. Teresa’s College in Kochi to stage a musical inspired by the Russian ballet Swan Lake

Experience a fusion of classical Indian dance forms in the adaptation of Swan Lake at St. Teresa's College on January 11.

Come January 11, the Platinum Jubilee Auditorium of St. Teresa’s College (STC) will be the stage for musical Hamsadhwani - Words in Motion, an adaptation of the 19th century Russian ballet Swan Lake. Presented in a fusion of classical Indian dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali alongside contemporary, freestyle and folk dance, it will have 46 dancers presenting Pyotor Illyich Tchaikovsky’s piece which was first staged by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877. Hamsadhwani is being staged as part of the centenary celebrations of the college. 

All the dancers, except the seven male dancers, are students of the college — present and past.  Rehearsals have been going on since October 2024 in the college. While the dancers and the choreographer, Suma Varma, are Teresians, the concept, ironically, was developed by a non-Teresian, Sajeena Jacob, who says she has been taken into the Teresian fold by the dancers. “I may not have studied here but my mother, aunt and sister are Teresians,” she adds. Based in Ghana, she works at the Embassy of Belgium there. 

As D day approaches, Suma, who graduated in 1987, says she has the jitters. She is the narrator of the musical.

It is a sweet homecoming of sorts for her and the other former students, who are part of the show, are excited about. For some it is a return to college, while for some others it is a return to dance. 

“We are returning to college after ages, putting up this show, which some of our teachers would also be watching. These are the people who shaped us…it is a big deal for us,” says actor Remya Nambeesan, who graduated in 2008. Apart from her, actors Mrudula Murali and Devi Chandana, also alumnae of the college, are also part of the show.   

“We picked Swan Lake because it is the ‘eternal ballet’, which is more than 150 years old. It is a different kind of story which places value on love and other emotions,” says Suma, a Kathakali actor and Mohiniyattam dancer. Suma and Sajeena became friends during Suma’s stint at Ghana. “It is all about love; about how love triumphs over evil,” adds Sajeena.  

The duo had earlier collaborated, while in Ghana, on two projects one of which was an adaptation based on Cinderella for the annual celebration of Suma’s dance school. Following the response, they planned one on Swan Lake. “We ended up putting up a 20 minute show — it was like telling Ghana what we intended to do,” Sajeena reminisces. She is all praise for Suma, who is trained in classical dance, for the choreography. “Hats off to her for creating this piece which is not strictly classical!”