Thaindian News

London, Feb 6 (IANS) The dramatic and tragic tale of Noor Inayat Khan, the Indian-origin secret agent who was shot by the Nazis, was brought alive in a performance by celebrated American dancer Felicia Norton here.The highly emotional solo dance performance, given at the Indian High Commission’s Nehru Centre Thursday night, was based on a biography of Noor written by Indian journalist and author Shrabani Basu.

Norton, an internationally acclaimed dancer, brought her show to London after successful performances in Paris and her native New York.

Norton has been described by the New York Times as “a magical and extraordinary dancer”, by the New Yorker as “a dream” and by the London Times as “compellingly sensual”.

For Wednesday night’s performance, Norton drew upon an eclectic range of influences from Noor’s life - including the Buddhist Jataka tales and Sufism.

Noor, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, was a British secret agent who was paradropped into France during World War II. She was captured, brutally tortured and shot by the Nazis in the infamous Dachau concentration camp in 1944.

She was posthumously awarded the George Cross by Britain and the Croix de Guerre by France. In 2006, the Indian government honoured her when Pranab Mukherjee, then defence minister, visited her house in Suresnes in Paris and paid his respects.