India

Population: 1.3 Billion

Land area: 1,147,949 sq mi

Capital: New Delhi

Languages: Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%

 

Kalaikoil

Kalaikoil presents Bharatanatyam classical dance that originated from dances once performed in the Hindu temples.

 

Namaha Ensemble

"Dance of the Stone Dolls" is based on poetry written by Dr. DV Gundappa inspired by the exquisitely carved stone idols as seen to this day in the 12th century temples of Belur and Halebidu in the state of Karnataka, India. The temples were commissioned to be built by Queen Shantala, wife of the Hoysala King Vishnu-var-dhana. These temples of Belur, Halebidu are UNESCO world heritage sites.

 

Gunjan

In India, it’s very common to use a literary poem for lyrics of a song. This song uses a famous poem by one of the greatest Marathi poets, Ba Bha Borkar. It’s an unusual poem because the approach it takes is very rarely found in Indian literature. It requests God Almighty, not to forgive, but to reprimand us for our sins, so that we get back on the right path. With his characteristic use of rich language and rhythmic metrical structure, Borkar is sincerely pleading with God to keep us humble and unselfish. The video features 8 couples from an East Bay Music group "Gunjan" singing in chorus. The composition by Abhay Avachat, a Pleasanton resident, is based on Kedar, a well known ‘raag’ from Indian Classical Music.

Participants : Prakash and Neha Kulkarni (San Ramon - "Gunjan" group founder) Sameer and Pallavi Gandhi (San Ramon) Rajendra and Pallavi Gole (Danville) Sunil and Savita Phatak (Dublin) Abhay and Archana Avachat (Pleasanton) Pradeep and Jayashree Kulkarni (Fremont) Shrikant and Nivedita Joshi (Fremont) Abhay and Radhika Inamdar (Fremont)

 

 

Odissi

These young dancers will be presenting Odissi Dance - a classical Indian dance. They will be showcasing Pada Sadhana (Pada Sadhana is the practice of Odissi steps. The student purifies the body and strives to attain “Anga-Shuddhi” or perfection of form. These steps form the basis for all choreography) & Mangalacharan (The opening dance item in the Odissi repertoire, Mangalacharan is an invocatory dance in which the dancer starts with a pushpanjali, an offering of flowers to Lord Jagannath, and requests his blessings for an auspicious start. This is followed by Bhumi pranam, salutation to Mother Earth to seek her blessings to commence the dance).

 

Celebrate India

This next video is a myriad of various art forms. Take a look as our young performers celebrate India with dance, poetry, visual art, and stories.

 

Minecraft Tribute to the Golden Temple

These young architects have chosen to do a tribute to the Golden Temple of India.  They display their skill at design with Minecraft as their medium!

 

Nandalala Children's Club

This video celebrates the significance of Navaratri - a celebration in India. The festival of Navratri, which spreads over 9 nights and 10 days, is one of the most revered festivals in India and celebrated during the autumn season. This too is a celebration of good over evil. Watch as the children depict this traditional epic.

 

Little Flower Group

Get ready to be delighted by this demonstration of Bollywood dance!

 

Rock On Bay Area

India and its rich cultural heritage is presented in this video through Bollywood Music and singing this evergreen song with Reenaraj.

 

Idadu Padam Thooki Aadum (Dancing with lifting His left leg) 

This is a dance where the devotee describes the beautiful dance of Lord Nataraja - the Lord of Dance and urges one to surrender at his feet.  He describes how the snakes around his neck, his tiger skin around his waist, the shining crescent moon and Ganga on his matted locks are all dancing with him and it is a sight to behold. 
This beautiful composition is in Ragam: Kamas, Taalam: Adi, a composition of Sri Papanasam Sivan.

 

Food to Folk Art

Join second-grader, Gauri, and learn about Indian culture through food, folk art, and story telling. 

 

Cultural Cookery

If you love street food check out this video by Mukta, showing us how to make Pani Puri, also known as, Golgappe!

 

Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi is one of the major classical Indian Dances and has its roots in the ancient sanskrit text Natya Shastra. Ananya performed Kuchipudi for a song, Muddugare Yasoda, written by a 15th century poet Saint Annamacharya. This song praises Lord Krishna in a unique way by comparing him to nine precious gems ( Navaratna in Sanskrit). This popular piece in Kuchipudi is choregraphed by Maestro Dr.Vempati Chinna Satyam garu.

 

Navarathri

Rajalakshmi shares the South Indian tradition Navarathri which is celebrated for 9 days. This holiday is celebrated by singing songs and hymns about the gods and goddesses while wearing traditional outfits.

 

NrityaTara School Of Odissi Dance

Todays dance video is -Mangalacharan which is based on Ganesh vandana. Mangalacharan --is the opening item of Odissi repertoire, The dance is dedicated to Lord Jagannatha and lord Ganesh. Flowers are offered, thanks is given to Mother Earth and a prayer invoking Ganesh, the removal of all obstacles is made for good luck. In the final part of the dance, the dancers offer thanks to God, their guru and the audience.

 

Thumkas &Twirls

Beyond the classical dances, India has many regional dances as well. Watch Thumkas & Twirls as they share regional dances from India. 

Ganesha Bhajan & Ganesha Arti

Sanvi  shares his gift of music,  performing two Indian songs on piano: "Ganesha Bhajan" and  “ Ganesha Arti “.  Ganesha Bhajan,“Sukh karta Dukh harta “ , which explains that Ganesha is the epitome of blessings and happiness and bless us all with fortune and prosperity.  Ganesha Arti,  "Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh ,Jai Ganesh Deva”, which again explains the powerful message of blessings and prayers of Ganesha.

Bollywood Mashup

Shake it Up shares "Bollywood Mashup"--a mother daughter dance.  This dance form is mostly performed in Indian weddings like sangeet , engagements and in receptions .

Kaal Vairaba Ashtakam

Team Shuvra shares, Kaal Vairaba Ashtakam, a divine form of dance that is derived from the one who is believed to have taught dance to the universe - that is Lord Shiva in conjunction with Shakti (nature). 2 dancers trained in Bharatnatyam will perform this dance choreographed by Shuvra Ray who is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer herself.

Disha Bhattacharyya 

Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition of India. The term Natya is a Sanskrit word for "dance". It is used to express Hindu religious stories and devotions. This video depicts a storied battle between good and evil, where the Devi manifesting as 'goddess Durga' leads the forces of good against the demon 'Mahishasura' and the forces of good win.

The Tradition of Dance and Dress

Myra shows off the beauty of traditional Indian dress while sharing a dance!

 

Rewire Community

This is a dance of empowerment. Performed by Megha Sharma Narang, a member of Rewire Community. As a tribute to womxn rising over challenges everyday. Overcoming gender based violence. In honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In honor of the feminine energy rising.

 

Lord Ganesha Prayer

Bharathanatyam is one of the 8 forms of classical dances of India and is considered the oldest dance forms from Tamilnadu. The dance is very popular across India and though it has a specific origins, it is accepted and loved everywhere in India and in the world. Today's performance is a prayer to Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is a God of all auspicious things and his name is chanted to bring good luck and success.