Saskia Kersenboom Von Duran

🪔 About

Saskia Cornelia Kersenboom, born on February 3, 1953, in Utrecht, Netherlands, is a renowned scholar, performer, and teacher of Indian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, with a profound focus on the Devadasi tradition. Her journey into Indian performing arts began after studying Indology and theatre studies at Utrecht University from 1972 to 1977. In 1977-1978, she received an Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) fellowship to study music, dance praxis, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu literatures in Tamil Nadu, India. She holds an MA in Indology and theatre studies from Utrecht University (1979) and a PhD in Dravidology (Indology, Dravidian Studies) from the same university, awarded in 1984. Her doctoral dissertation, "Nityasumangali: towards the semiosis of the devadasi tradition of South India," was later published as a seminal book, "Nityasumangali: Devadasi Tradition in South India," in 1987, which has seen multiple editions. Kersenboom received her Bharatanatyam training from Smt. Nandini Ramani, learning the courtly repertoire in the lineage of T. Balasaraswati, and studied the ritual traditions at Tiruttani temple with Smt. P. Ranganayaki. She also trained in Carnatic vocal music with Shri B. Krishnamoorthy and veena with Veena Ramani. Prior to her Indian dance studies, she had 20 years of classical ballet background. As a performer, Saskia Kersenboom has presented solo concerts extensively across Europe, America, and India. She has taught at conservatories in The Netherlands, Poland, and the USA, and served as a visiting professor at the Sarojini Naidu School for Performing Arts and Communication at the University of Hyderabad. From 1990 to 2013, she was an Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in Linguistic Anthropology, Musicology, and Theatre Studies, and has been an independent researcher since 2013. In 1994, she founded the Paramparai Foundation, initially in The Netherlands, which later moved to Legend, Hungary, in 2006. The foundation offers intensive courses in "Dasi Attam," integrating music, dance, and poetry, with residencies also held in Tirupugalur, Tamil Nadu, India. Kersenboom has also contributed as a consultant to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and served on the international jury for the Prakriti Excellence in Contemporary Dance Award. Her work emphasizes the inherent flexibility of the Karnatak tradition and the contextualized understanding of Indian dance as a living heritage. Awards & Honours: Grant (1995).