A group of young Seychellois women residing in Australia have found a way to promote the culture of the Indian Ocean islands through dancing held a performance on Saturday, to coincide with Seychelles’ Creole Festival.
Called “Kouler Kreol” (Creole Colour), the group of three, is spreading the popular dances of Seychelles through Melbourne, Australia.
“Collectively, Kouler Kreol is more than just a traditional dance group. As we all agree it is an incredible opportunity to showcase our culture, heritage and history to Australia and the world,” said Lorraine Mondon, one of the group’s members.
According to Lorraine, Kouler Kreol performs all over Melbourne at various events, such as parties, weddings, and cultural events.
“The purpose of this group was to include Seychelles and their people who have been living abroad, and provide them with a piece of home at their events as that option was very scarce in Melbourne,” said Mondon.
The group’s biggest event was a performance held on Saturday with well-known Seychellois singer Joseph Sinon, who is on a tour in Australia along with singer Clive Camille.
Mondon told SNA that “promoting our local dances in Australia is an honour, to say the least. Australia is a multicultural country, however, with the small Seychellois population that resides here, there is very minimal coverage and education on Seychelles.”
She added that “Kouler Kreol has allowed people to discover our traditional dances and culture, and we feel that we are working towards ‘putting Seychelles on the map.”
Aside from Mondon, the other members of the group are Briana Mondon and Amelie Port-Louis.
The group’s dance style incorporates traditional styles including sega, moutya, kanmtole, zouk and tinge – putting their own modern twist on it.
The group also creates their own choreography, designs their own costumes, mixes songs and creates everything on their social media pages.
“Additionally, we will be showcasing the Seychellois dance at a large African Festival called “African Music & Culture Festival,” which takes place annually at Federation Square, Melbourne,” said Mondon.
Source: Seychelles News Agency