Choreographer Noel Alexander
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
It was in early 2015 that the band Masala Coffee wowed music buffs with their take on ‘Kaantha’, the traditional folk song celebrating Thrissur Pooram. The track continues to win hearts 10 years down the lane, thanks to Mumbai-based choreographer Noel Alexander, who has roots in Kerala.
Noel’s choreography of the song has gone viral on the social media and the artiste is over the moon. “I had no idea that the dance would blow up to this extent,” says Noel over the phone from Mumbai. He has already announced several workshops to teach the choreography and is planning a South India tour with sessions in Bengaluru, Kochi, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Chennai.
Born in Kottayam district in Kerala, Noel grew up in Gujarat and moved to Mumbai four years ago to pursue dance as a profession. “In my workshops I usually teach a particular song. It started with the viral Gujarati track, ‘Khalasi’ and that became popular. After that I did the Rajasthani song, ‘Chaudhary’, Telugu song ‘Inkem inkem’ (Geeta Govindam) and the Tamil track, ‘Unakku thaan’ (Chithha).” The videos are posted on his Instagram handle, @alexander_noel_janam.
Noel Alexander in his costume for the ‘Kaantha’ track
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
When there were several requests to take up a Malayalam song, his first choice was ‘Malare’ from Premam. “It is extremely popular and is the only Malayalam song that I can sing! That was when a friend made me listen to ‘Kaantha’. I was blown away. I didn’t have to think twice because the moment I heard the first line I could visualise everything about Kerala – houseboats, coconut trees etc. Also, since I have been to the Thrissur Pooram I know the vibe. I have seen how passionate people are about the festival. I want the rest of India to know the enormity of the Pooram. For me, the song stood for Kerala and the Pooram,” he says.
Noel mentions that he looked into the origin of the song. It is an old poem, apparently about a woman requesting her beloved to take her along to Thrissur Pooram, one of the famous and largest temple festivals in Kerala, held annually at Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur. The lyrics describe the sounds and mood of the festival, especially the beats of percussion instruments, the fireworks etc. Masala Coffee gave it a new feel with vibrant orchestration and arrangement when they performed it in Music Mojo on Kappa TV, with Sooraj Santhosh [now not a part of the band] as the lead singer.
Noel says that he did a lot of research about the dance styles that would suit the song. “I have incorporated elements from Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kaikottikali and the dance styles I have learnt. Since I am not a well-trained classical dancer I was helped by a friend. I didn’t want to make any mistake and offend someone.”
A screenshot of the video ‘Kaantha’ featuring Noel Alexander
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
He specifically mentions about using the hand gestures of Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. “What I love about classical dance forms is how gestures are used for conversations. I used Kaikottikali because I was enamoured by it when I saw it at the Pooram venue.”
He usually launches new choreography in Bengaluru and ‘Kaantha’ was performed at Dance-Inn studio in the city early this month. “I was particular about wearing the black shirt and mundu with golden border. It is extremely difficult to dance wearing a mundu!”
Noel avers that just like he celebrated garba through ‘Khalasi’ he wanted people to know about Kerala through ‘Kaantha’. “I hope people will see how beautiful Kerala is in terms of art and culture. The State is one of my favourite place and whenever I come down to meet my grandmother in my home town or my sister who lives in Kochi, I have a blast. I love the food,” he says.
Choreographer Noel Alexander
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
He did ‘Kaantha’ workshops in Mumbai and Kolkata as well and will conduct the next in Delhi on November 1. “I was sceptical about whether they would understand the song but was overwhelmed by the reaction of the contestants. It went viral because of the cultural context of the work. People lapped it up also because of the freshness.”
After the video came out, he also interacted with the Masala Coffee band. In fact, in their social media interaction the band has even evinced interest to collaborate with him live on stage.
Choreographer Noel Alexander
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The 28 year old says that in his initial days as a dancer he used to do hip-hop and Western dance forms. “At the same time I was fascinated by Kathak and the storytelling in it after I saw one of my teachers perform. The turning point was taking part in the reality show, Dance Plus [on Star Plus] where I saw contestants showcasing different classical dance forms. That is how I decided to explore more Indian forms.” He also formed a dance troupe, Janam, during that show and have been working behind the scenes of various dance reality shows.
Published – October 30, 2025 03:49 pm IST
