DELAWARE, U.S.A., October 1, 2005: When organizers from the Indo-American Association of Delaware gathered together to organize this year’s festival, they decided to focus on Indian dance forms (classical, folk and contemporary Bollywood-style). The news release explains, “Dances will be presented by dozens of professional and amateur dancers. Through narration, costume and the highly expressive and mimelike dances, audiences will be able to trace the evolution of Indian dance from an ancient “science” to the modern, hip-hop-inspired bhangra dancing seen in nightclubs around the world. At noon, Vatsala Srinivas and students from her Natya Kala Mandir school in Baltimore will perform Bharatha Natyam dances. At 2 pm, local Indian dance troupes, many made up of children, will perform folk dances associated with 10 of India’s dozens of festivals. Some festivals are well known throughout India, while others are celebrated only in specific regions. One of India’s most popular festivals is Rakhi, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Costumed dancers will re-create the Rakhi ritual in which the sister ties a golden thread around her brother’s wrist to symbolize her love and trust for him. The Nisha A. Punjabi’s Nritya Jhankaar group will also perform dances associated with the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival and the Navaratri Festival that celebrates the Hindu Universal Mother.” The festival will culminate with a Grand Finale when all the dancers will meet on stage to perform bhangra and hip-hop dancing found in today’s Bollywood films.
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