The Zingaris, an Indian dance group founded by Nipa Sheth and Kalpana Krishnamurthy captured the hearts of the viewers with their three -hour exquisite dance show on February 15 at the Foothill College. The show was organized and funded by ASHA and the proceedings go toward the benefit of educating children in India.
ASHA focuses on basic education for children in India. The group tries to raise awareness among students and the local community about the need for basic education. They fund a number of educational projects in rural India and maintain a close personal involvement with them. They carefully select and evaluate project proposals received from groups and individuals in India. They conduct preliminary site visits to learn more about the projects before they decide to fund them based on stringent criteria. They monitor a project's progress through periodic reports and subsequent site visits.
ASHA has more than 400 active volunteers across 40 different chapters worldwide. Since its inception, ASHA has supported more than 244 different projects in many states of India. In terms of project funding, more than $1.5 million has been disbursed to these projects. In 2000 alone, ASHA chapters raised more than $1 million and disbursed close to $601K to over 120 projects.
The Zingaris show is one of the many ASHA sponsored programs that work toward funding the kids' education in India.
The founders of Zingaris Nipa Sheth and Kalpana Krishnamurthy promised at the beginning of the show that it would be a night to remember "for a long, long time to come," and it definitely will be, atleast for me.
All the dances were exciting, fun and enthralling. My favorite was Aplam Chaplam choreographed by Sreelata Suresh (Vishwashanti Dance Academy). The dancers Bindu Nair and Nipa Sheth were excellent. The moves in this fast number from the classic Hindi movie Azaad are reminiscent of the yesteryear oldies. The dance derives its inspiration from Bharatanatyam, one of the four main classical dance styles of India. The dance portrays two playful friends calling out to their lovers, and trying their best to attract their attention.
Another good dance is the Jugalbandi which fused Bharatanatyam from the teples of South India, and Kathak from the plains of Uttar Pradesh. While one dance form is very forceful in its movements, the other is soft and yet striking. This semi-classical piece beautifully combined the influences of North and South Indian dance forms. Dancers and choreographers Bindu Nair, Monika Gupta, Padma Lakshman and Yasmin Kohli deserve a pat on their backs.
Among the filmi songs, Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo is well organized. This song from the hindi film Howrah Bridge is immortalized by Helen, a well-known Hindi actress of the 60s and 70s.
Four couples (Gaurav Chawla, Hiten Patel, Manpreet Komal, Naveen Doraiswamy, Nipa Sheth, Pravin Boddu, Stuthi Gadamsetti and Yasmin Kohli) performed this dance, which take you back to the Mumbai pubs of the early 50s. This is the dancers' version of tantalizing swing dancing set to a song that holds a special place in Indian cine history.
Dandiya Raas, a rhythemic folk dance from the Western State of Gujarat is performed by several dancers whp did a wonderful job of moving around an imaginary circle as they swing dandiyas to the beat of Dhol. Excellent choregraphy by Samip Bhavsar.
Overall a very engrossing show.