At 12 years old, Triaksha Goodoory is Mauritius champion in judo and ju-jitsu under 13 years old and she has also been rewarded as a dancer of bharatanatyam. Diametrically opposed arts that forge the teenager who juggles between the elegance and fluidity of this dance and the rigidity and determination of a fighter. We met her in her native village in Mare D’Albert where she is the pride of those around her.
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In the small village of Mare-D’Albert in the south of the country, lives a little champion in martial arts. Triaksha Goodoory, 12, has been shining since taking part in national judo and ju-jitsu competitions. Current under-13 champion, the College student France Boyer de la Giroday in Plaine Magnen has distinguished herself in each category in which she has been registered since she was 6 years old. So far, she has only finished second once. The other times it was gold. “It makes me proud. This pleases me immensely. My dad, who is a martial arts teacher, guided me well from a young age. I was already used to doing the necessary movements in competition. It became easy for me with practice.”
Dexterity and flexibility.
It must be said that she masters these two martial arts as very few know how to do. A small demonstration in a kimono quickly gives us a great insight into her talents and her potential. The tense and raised foot at the height of our faces, rapid and powerful punches in the void, pirouettes and here we are both helpless and impressed by the dexterity and flexibility of this warrior who launch piercing and aggressive cries. His piercing gaze and intimidating posture command respect.
A few minutes later, this force of nature is transformed. In front of us, in her beautiful traditional oriental clothes, there she is, imbued with gentleness, devoting herself to disconcerting movements of fluidity and elegance according to the rules of Bharatanatyam. On the rhythm of traditional music, she captures the attention with her hypnotizing movements. “Dancing Bharatanatyam gives me a lot of joy, I feel peaceful when I dance.” A few pirouettes forwards and backwards bring us back to the martial arts from which she does not dissociate herself, even when she dances. “My dance teacher likes to do fusions in my dance, it creates a new dance.” Note that she was 1st runner up of Zenes Show To Talan for dance organized by the ministry and she the winner of the Bo Vallon Ascencia Talent Show in 2019
Complementarity.
It is clear that the disciplines she practices are very complementary. Judo and ju-jitsu are quite similar apart from punching and kicking. “Judo and ju-jitsu have a lot of similar techniques. In judo when I grab my opponent’s kimono to try to throw it to the ground, the ‘grip’ is powerful. I must say that it helps me a lot when I practice ju-jitsu. It’s a plus.”
Martial arts and dance help him to work better at the educational level according to his own words. “I really like martial arts techniques, they keep me healthy, make my life more interesting, motivate me, help me concentrate in my studies.” The same is true for dancing. “Bharatanatyam gives me a lot of joy, I feel at peace when I practice it. During exam time, I only have to dance a little, and it helps me concentrate better and work better.”
Very attached to all these disciplines, Triaksha Goodoory admits that she cannot choose between the 3. On the contrary, she sees them as part of her life for a very long time. “I couldn’t make a choice between the 3. I want to become a dance teacher later, make a career in dance while developing myself in ju-jitsu and judo. I dream of participating at the Indian Ocean Island Games and win a medal.”
This would be a great sequel to her story, she who discovered martial arts at the age of 2. Her father being the director of a ju-jitsu school, he took her from time to time to watch her. But one fine day, the latter is surprised to see her doing things that some of her students have not yet mastered. “I saw her doing very advanced rolls while the students watched her. She had watched and learned” Since then, she has a well-filled medal and trophy shelf that should continue to be filled for a long time to come.
