Renowned music composer Ilaiyaraaja's studio in Chennai was graced by Russian dancers who performed mesmerizing routines to his iconic songs ‘O Butterfly’ from the film "Meera" and ‘Poove Sempoove’ from "Sollathudikuthu Manasu." Praising the dancers on social media, Ilaiyaraaja expressed his gratitude, stating, "I thank the dancers from Russia for their elegant and emotional performance at my studio. Their rendition was heartfelt, graceful, and truly captivating, devoid of any flaws." His post quickly went viral online.

This special event was organized by P. Thangappan, General Secretary of the Indo-Russian Cultural Centre. The Russian dance group is currently touring Tamil Nadu from January 17 to February 3. Upon Thangappan's suggestion, the group chose to perform these two songs, which were well-suited for Western dance styles. Accepting the recommendation, troupe leader Kalina arranged the performance at Ilaiyaraaja's studio.

Kalina, impressed by the music, commented, "We are drawn to the unique beauty of Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions. His music is deeply spiritual, and these two songs exude joy and imagination. As an artist, he expresses emotions beautifully, and we felt ecstatic to perform for such creations."Mean

while, Alexander Tetovanov, head of the Russian Center in Chennai, commended Tamil music, calling it "richly melodic."

Overall, the cultural exchange highlighted the universal appeal of Ilaiyaraaja's music and its ability to transcend language and cultural barriers.

My sincere many thanks to all these wonderful dancers from Russia to have come all the way to my studio for a very special performance which was full of grace, mesmerising, very expressive, heart-touching, alluring and flawless… 💃 💃 💃 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/W8Bt42hpOE

— Ilaiyaraaja (@ilaiyaraaja) February 2, 2025