In New York, you can expect the unexpected – fabulous Indian dance taking place under the trees in the greenery of cascading parks, right in the middle of joggers and strollers, office workers and moms pushing prams. All the doing of the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) which in collaboration with the Downtown Dance Festival presented free lunch-time performances in Battery Park. The master dancers were from various parts of India and included Vijayalakshmi, exponent of the Mohiniyattam South Indian style; Rani Khanam, exponent of North Indian Kathak; Rahul Acharya representing the Odissi style from Eastern India; and Rama Vaidyanathan, one of India’s top young exponents of Bharat Natyam.
The festival is a veritable labor of love. As Aroon Shivdasani, Director of IAAC, observed, “Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance 2013 started out with many challenges – money being the main one. However, its amazing how passion and a fabulous team can overcome anything. Through sheer dint of wanting to make it happen, we managed to get it together, we raised funds, we scouted performers, we checked submissions and we incorporated visiting artists……the result was three stupendous days of performances, workshops and panels.”
It all paid off with appreciative audiences, many seeing Indian dance for the first time. For Indian-Americans it was a thrill to see their dances and music become a part of every day life, the buzz of city life…
Check out co-curator Rajika Puri’s piece on the Dance Festival HERE
Enjoy this photo gallery. |
