Page 111 - Khabar Magazine (February 2020)

Around Town

Ekal volunteers. (Photo: Vinod Devlia)
The show commenced with the foot-tapping the music talent show SaReGaMaPa and Zee Antak-
number “Rhythm Speaks” by Kalaxya Dance Acad- shari, sang classic medleys, including “Radha Na Bole
emy. Founder and director Mital Patel, who aims to Na Bole,” “Zara Si Aahat,” and “Bole Re Papihara.” Saras
have a multicultural approach in preserving the dy- Jain, a gifted Indian classical vocalist and Atlanta In-
namic and rich traditions of Indian classical dance, dian Idol finalist, lent his soulful vocals and dexterous
choreographed the traditional dance with a touch of techniques to his interpretation of “Chunar.” Lakshmi
modern rhythm. Next was Chandra Dance Academy’s Rao, known as the “Asha Bhosle of Atlanta” for many
“Rajwaddi,” a mesmerizing Rajasthani Kathak piece decades, gave an ebullient rendition of “Yeh Ishq Hai.”
choreographed by founder and director Brittny Chan- Finally, Pankaj Bhargava, the “Kishore Kumar of At-
dra, an internationally recognized Kathak artist from lanta,” had audience members dancing along to his
the Jaipur Gharana style. Both performances show- foot-tapping Amitabh-Kishore medley.
cased talented dancers, riveting music, and a promis- After an enlightening presentation on Ekal by
ing, upbeat start to the show. Preeti Tanwar and a heartfelt vote of thanks by Presi-
The next piece was choreographed by Geet-Rung dent Shiv Aggarwal, the dancing continued, with Ka-
School of Dance and Music founder and director Divya laxya presenting “Garba Masti” with a modern twist of
Srivastava, who has always extended her support infinite love to Radha Krishna and “Lavni Mix,” synthe-
to Ekal. She showcased the graceful and delicate di- sizing traditional rhythms with fun-filled Bollywood
mensions of Kathak in an enchanting performance of beats. Chandra Dance Academy exhibited classical
“Deewani Mastani.” As a captivating conclusion to the roots in the entrancing “Conversation between 323.”
initial dance segment, Nritya Natya Kala Bharti Dance Geet Rung showcased the latest Bollywood hits with
(NNKB) Founder and Director Kumud Savla, an inter- the exciting, student-choreographed “Punjabi Medley.”
nationally recognized artist honored by the Govern- The show concluded with the four vocalists uniting
ment of India, had her students perform two pieces: for a medley of “Aankhon Mein Kya,” “Chup Gaya Nazare,”
a compelling performance to “Ghar More Pardesiya” “Dheere Dheere Chal,” “Aa Dekhein Zara,” and many more
amalgamating the pizzazz of Bollywood dance with that culminated with thunderous applause.
the grace of Kathak, and an invigorating medley of un- The show was an indubitable success, raising 100
forgettable Bollywood Jazz classics. These four dance schools at the event in addition to monetary donations,
schools were received with wholehearted applause for including a $1,000 contribution from Suvidha Indo-Pak
their spectacular performances. Groceries and a $20,000 pledge from 27th Investments
This was followed by the introduction of four of Group. Prior to the date, 64 additional schools were do-
Atlanta’s best vocalists. Purnima Mathur, an accom- nated for the event from August 24th.
plished singer for All India Radio and a prior part of —Samiksha Gaherwar

Website Bonus Features at khabar.com include additional materials for the reports above (additional text, photos, videos,
and links) as well as website-only reports, e.g.: Live Painting by artist Abhishek SIngh during the “Transcendent Deities of
India exhibition” with Raja Ravi Varma & Manjari Sharma. See it all at www.khabar.com, Around Town section.
Please send your Around Town event reports to AroundTown@khabar.com. Publication is based on several criteria, including the
volume of reports submitted for a given issue. Deadline: 15th of each month—and within 3-5 days of the event.

KHABAR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY• 2020 •107