Overview

The dance troupe Aatma was founded in 2018 by Dr. Lekha Menon Margassery who had the vision to create a platform for both students and alumni of University College Cork (UCC) to follow and express their passion for Indian dances. When the troupe started, it sparked interest not only within the Indian Community at UCC but also amongst hidden talented dancers of both the healthcare and IT sectors. The troupe currently consists of dancers from all over India who aspire to articulate their culture through different dance forms and music across classical, semi-classical, folk and even Bollywood. Though we started in 2018, we were unable to reach out to other lovers of dance, and so the team put together our launch event on 9th July 2022. The performances were based on “Navarasa” meaning “nine human emotions” which was the theme of the event. We were joined by the Mary McCarthy Irish School of Dancing who performed “Winter Moves” and UCC Staff Dance society performed the Salsa. We are delighted to have not only performed for an amazing audience, but were also able to raise €300 for the Cork Penny Dinners through the launch. We believe in growing, learning, and expressing different stories through our art and hope to give back the love we get from people! We are passionate and always ready to take up new challenges. We aim to promote joy, happiness and diversity through the medium of dance.