UWI Hosts Evening of Indian Dance Forms

The extent to which Jamaica embraces cultural artforms from other countries was on display at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, recently, when it hosted an evening of Indian traditional and contemporary dances, titled ‘Malang’ (‘Boundless Spirits’).

The event, which showcased the classical Bharatanatyam as well as the Bollywood cinematic, folk, and fusion dance forms, was staged by the Mudra Art Group, which specialises in these genres. The Group was founded by Creative Director, Prerana Singh, in 2012.

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill and State Minister, Dr. the Hon. Norman Dunn, were among the guests treated to stellar performances by the dancers.

They joined India’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Rungsung Masakui and prominent members of the local Indian community who attended.

The performances by the dance troupe depicted ‘Nritta’, ‘Nritya’ and ‘Natya’, the three principal components characterising Indian dance.

Nritta is pure dance, Nritya relates to expression, while Natya represents the emotion behind the art. The combination of the three gave birth to dance as a vibrant art form in Indian culture.

The performances featured an opening veneration dance that represents a prayer symbolising the beginning of any event and is intended to bring good luck and blessings to any occasion.

The performers showcased their styles with the level of flair and movement underlining the balance that has been achieved through the fusion of Indian and western cultures.

In keeping with its motto – ‘Express Yourself Through Dance’ – the Group facilitates dance classes that afford students, with the aptitude, the opportunity to turn their passion into practice.

‘Malang’ represented the first of several cultural productions being embarked on by the organisation.

High Commissioner Masakui, who spoke at the event, described Mrs. Singh as “one of the torch bearers for Indian culture in Jamaica”.

“In this home away from home, [she] has created opportunities for the younger generation to relish their culture and learn more,” he said.

The High Commissioner said that as a trained dancer, Mrs. Singh has worked over the years to ensure the smooth merging of Indian and Western cultures, pointing out that this was evident in the ‘Malang’ showcase.

Founder and Executive Chairman of the Guardsman Group, Kenneth Benjamin, a prominent member of the local Indian community, praised Mrs. Singh for working over the years to keep the Asian country’s culture at the forefront of public attention locally.

The evening’s proceedings were expertly marshalled by Senior Lecturer and Head of the UWI’s Department of Computing, Professor Gunjan Mansingh and son Atishai Mansingh.