Ethnic Lores will be Enlivened through Dance at The International Dance Festival

Ahmedabad will witness a one of its kind Folk Dance Event  on 19th and 20th of November, 2017. FICCI FLO, the women’s wing of the industry body, has decided to elevate the performing arts genre through the first edition of International Dance Festival commencing this World Heritage Week. The fervent group of women has mobilised approximately 30 dancers from Zimbabwe and Vietnam and 95 dancers from six states of India including Gujarat, Manipur, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam and Punjab for performance. The event will kick off with a dance parade scheduled during the sunrise of November 19, 2017, where flamboyantly attired artists will be showcasing their stage skills on the streets of CG Road in Ahmedabad. The ticketed two days event is a fundraising activity for FICCI’s philanthropic body,  WEV, where women from the underprivileged sector are trained with skills that can assist them in becoming self-employed.

The idea of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbkam’ (entire world is my family) struck me  when Kalpesh Dalal from Avani Foundation explained us about the ethnic similarities behind the dance forms of Zimbabwe and India, “Zimbabweans perform a harvest dance called Mbakumba, whose ideation is identical to Punjab’s Bhangra or Assam’s Bihu dance. Even the warrior dance of theirs Muchongoyo or hunter dance Chinyambera stand at par with Indian dance forms. From the Vietnam, the Border Guard Cultural Group, will narrate traditional ‘Cham’ stories through their dance.

The array of dance forms from varied geographies includes Gidda from Punjab, Dhol Cholom from Manipur, Dollu Kunitha from Karnataka, Dangi Nritya from tribal Gujarat and Bhawai from Rajasthan. It was a pleasant sight when ethnically diverse Dang’s Shivajibhai, Punjab’s Jaspreet Singh and Manipur’s Vikram Singh were sharing an everyday conversation over a cup of tea after their rehearsals.

The event is scheduled for the evening hours of November 19 and 20, 2017 at the majestic amphitheatre of Shreyas Foundation, and just to notify, the seats are filling fast!

Picture courtesy: Organisers