The quality of dance is much better than before--Kajol Ibrahim

Ratan and Mou present a folk dance choreographed by Kajol

Currently, Kajol works as a dance director only. Her opinion about today's dance: 'As many performers are equipped with foreign degree, the quality of dance these days is much better than before.'

Born into a family with a rich cultural background. Kajol pursued her hobby and passion from her early years. As she recalls, 'I used to sing when I was a child. As I grew older my commitment to dancing grew.'

She started her dance lessons with GA Mannan. She graduated with a diploma in classical dance (Kathak) from the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA). Her teacher was Samar Battacharjee. Later in her career, she learned Bharatnatyam and Manipuri for four years from the well-known dancer Baburam Singh. She said, 'I was interested in all the branches of classical dance. During my learning period, Atikul Islam, an exponent of Tagore songs and music teacher of BAFA, inspired me greatly' she added.

Although she started her career as a classical dancer, later in her career Kajol chose the contemporary dance form. Regarding the switch she said, ' In each of my stage shows, I performed classical dance first and then performed the contemporary form of dance.'

Kajol's horizons have expanded over the years. She has visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, China, Pakistan and India to perform at various cultural meets. In 1975, she won a national award for her outstanding performance. Looking into the future, she says she would like to concentrate on her work as a dance director.

Kajol believes that the government ought to promote dance. As she points out, 'The Government should try to offer more foreign scholarships to our dancers so that they can widen their knowledge of this medium.'