CHENNAI: After a series of official meetings, the day ended pleasantly for US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at Kalakshetra here on Tuesday. The 15-minute performances by classical dancers synchronised with music has left an unforgettable impression on her mind.“I have never seen classical dance so closely; the movement of the eyes and body muscles of the dancers amazed me. The dancers are disciplined,” she said, congratulating the performers.Her personal security officers might not have allowed her to stop even to have a glance at the city, but at Kalakshetra, Clinton was on her own.Leela Samson, Managing Director of Kalashetra Foundation, took Clinton to a room where the music instruments were kept for display. “She liked the veena. We even played it for her,” said Samson.When Clinton came to the main venue, which was set up under a huge banyan tree, an idol of Hindu god Vinayaka was kept at the centre of the stage with simple decorations.After Samson gave a brief explanation on the history of Kalashetra, Kathakali and Bharatanatyam exponents enthralled Clinton. Clinton paid key attention to every movement of the dancers. When Kathakali was performed, the splash of colours mesmerised her. Throughout the performance, her eyes seemed to be following the movement of the dancers.The fine nuances of Bharatanatyam attracted queries from her and Samson was at her side to explain. “She kept asking for the explanation on movements and told me she was impressed by the movement of neck, eyes and body,” Samson said.One of the performers, Hari, who is also a professor of Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra, said, ”Our achievement lies in making the audience happy. We are overwhelmed by the response from Hillary Clinton.”Before Clinton visited the premises, her pet dog drew the attention of people at Kalakshetra . “It is the dog she had brought along with her from the US. The dog accompanied her in an air-conditioned car,” said police officers on duty.
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