Nathalie Pieltain

🪔 About

Nathalie Pieltain is a dedicated practitioner and teacher of Indian classical dance, primarily focusing on Odissi. Her journey into Indian classical dance began over a decade ago, initially training in Bharatanatyam in Brussels. Driven by her passion for India and its dance forms, she regularly travels to India, where she has participated in Bharatanatyam workshops in Bangalore and Madras. Pieltain's introduction to Odissi came after witnessing a performance choreographed by the renowned Leela Samson, which harmoniously blended various Indian classical dance styles. She was initiated into the Odissi style by Ashwini Raghupathy, a dancer and professor in Bangalore. To further her expertise, she trained in France with Mahina Khanum, learning various pieces of the Odissi repertoire. She also undertook intense training at the Srjan School in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, which helped her acquire a rigorous approach to Odissi gestures. Nathalie Pieltain continues to refine her skills by participating in workshops across Europe with international dancers such as Saswat Joshi, Colleena Shakti, and Monica Singh. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Nathalie Pieltain shares her knowledge and passion for Odissi by teaching classes through 'Bhumika Movement' at Tala&Nritya. Her classes cover warm-up exercises, basic positions like chauka and tribhangis, technical vocabulary including pada bedas and hasta mudras, and the learning of Odissi repertoire choreographies. She is also a performer, having presented Odissi pieces such as 'Batu' at events like the Indian Food Festival, performing choreography by masters like Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.