Liesbeth Pankaja Bennink

🪔 About

Liesbeth Pankaja Bennink is a Bharatanatyam dancer, historian, scholar, and author from the Netherlands. She uses "Pankaja" as her dance name. Her journey into Indian classical dance began after being mesmerized by a performance on television at a young age, leading her to pursue Bharatanatyam. She received her training from Smt. Rajamani Knols, who was a disciple of the esteemed K.P. Kitappa Pillai, in Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Bennink completed her arangetram in 1981. Concurrently with her dance training, she pursued academic studies, finalizing her M.A. in history at the Rijksuniversiteit of Utrecht in 1983. Following her arangetram and graduation, Bennink performed and taught Bharatanatyam for many years both in the Netherlands and internationally. Her deep interest extends beyond performance to the historical and spiritual aspects of Indian culture, particularly the Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, which she considers a spiritual home. She has visited India numerous times since the 1980s to further her understanding. Bennink collaborated extensively with Raja Deekshithar (1949-2010), a scholar and custodian from the traditional community of the Shiva Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, seeking a deeper understanding of Indian dance within its ancient traditions. After his sudden death in 2010, she expressed her intention to carry forward his legacy with his sons. As a historian and researcher, Liesbeth Pankaja Bennink has authored scholarly articles, including "Nataraja, Mysteries and More…" published in Asian Arts in 2015, and "The Dancing Men of Kanchipuram, an Anomaly in Pallava Land." She has also contributed to spreading awareness of Indian culture through workshops in schools and community organizations. In 2019, she was interviewed for the Marathi publication Prasad Prakasan, sharing her journey in an article titled "Dancing with my Hands." Currently, she works for the City Council of Amsterdam on administrative and organizational activities, and her focus has shifted towards promoting the glory of the Chidambaram temple.