Dances of India dazzle the senses

"The best part about our style of dancing is how it makes you feel," said Maleeha Sheikh of CTV Morning Live in Saskatoon as she introduced a variety of colourful and exhilarating Indian dances to a North Battleford audience Saturday. 

"Dancing is a huge part of the sub-Asian culture," said Sheikh as the first performance of the season for the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts got underway.

Titled Dances of India, it was fully organized and supported by Drs. Mini and Mahesh Khurana of North Battleford.

Dr. Mini, who welcomed the dancers and guests, told the Regional Optimist she was inspired to organize the event because people often come to her wondering where they can learn or participate in Indian dancing.

While there aren't any classes locally, and some people have gone as far as Edmonton to find schools of Indian dance, there are opportunities in Saskatoon, she said. She decided to bring a group of these Saskatchewan-based students and performers together for an evening of dancing so people could see for themselves and choose to get involved in whatever style of dancing suits them.

In addition, it was a chance to share her heritage with the community that has been home for many years.

"I thank all performers and volunteers and my friends for their enormous effort," she said. "Thank you all for attending. I hope all have had a pleasant experience and I hope we meet more often in this kind of event."

North Battleford's Mayor Ian Hamilton commended Dr. Mini for her effort and for recognizing an opportunity to bring her heritage to North Battleford and to the Dekker Centre.

He said he was excited that Dances of Indian was the first performance of an exciting season of the Dekker.

"I'm especially excited as I believe this truly demonstrates what the supporters, contributors and investors in this facility envisioned."

He welcomed visitors from outside the community, extending "a never-ending welcome."

"I want to welcome you back to see us again real soon."

The show began with an instrumental piece by Shelly Nasrin on sitar, a rare, traditional stringed instrument originating in ancient Persia. Nasrin was born in Bangladesh and, as a child, learned how to play the sitar from her father.

She was accompanied by Rajan Nundi playing the tabla, or two-headed drum.

Nundi has been in Saskatoon for 28 years and has performed in numerous shows across Canada, the United States, Bangladesh and India.

A variety of dances were performed by the Mudra School of Performing Arts from Saskatoon. It was founded in April of 2013 by Sneha Muhkerjee, who grew up in India where she trained as a dancer and as a software engineer. Her school shares a location with Colors of India, an outlet that had clothing and jewelry on display at the Dekker Centre the night of the performance. Their performances included a medley of Bollywood hits.

"Anyone who has seen a Bollywood movie, you know the song and dance are just as important as the plot and characters," said Sheikh.

Also performing a variety of traditional dances were members of the Indian School of Dance and Music of Saskatoon, including the lungi folk dance typically performed at harvest celebrations, weddings or family gatherings.

"Old or young you can do it because anyone can dance if you are happy," said Sheikh.

There were also performances by Oriental Dance Arts of Saskatoon, which has been exploring and celebrating dances and cultures of the Middle East, Near East and Asia Minor since the mid-1980s in Saskatoon. Their presentations included soofi whirling, a form of physically active meditation.

There was even a break dancing performance, featuring Stesaun Tingley and friends of Concrete Mentality. The group of four are based out of Saskatoon and presented a style of dance sometimes called "b-boying," with elements from hip hop, rap, graffiti and DJing, said Sheikh.

The popular dance of Bhangra was also performed.

Sheikh noted the Bhangra originated in the Punjab in northern Indian. Like Saskatchewan, she said, the Punjab is the farming centre of India.

The boisterous, celebratory dance was originally connected to the harvest season.

"Now people do it all year round because it's fun," said Sheikh. "In the last 30 years, Bhangra has seen a surge of popularity world wide, both in the folk form and a fusion form with genres like hip hop, house and reggae."

She said many people believe Bhangra originated in the 1400s, but it may have been around long before that, she said.

A junior Bhangra group featuring male and female dancers wrapped up the first half of the show and a senior group of all male dancers wrapped up the second half. The traditional dress for men dancing Bhangra includes a fan-like adornment on the turban.

The final performance of the evening was by a number of audience members, including North Battleford's mayor Ian Hamilton, who answered the invitation to join the senior group on stage and learn a few Bhangra steps.