Roosevelt Island is an amazing place filled with people coming from many different cultures, nations and religions. Roosevelt Island residents are fortunate to be able to learn about and celebrate the diversity of their neighbors. This coming Saturday, March 19, Roosevelt Island’s Main Street Theatre and Dance Alliance (MST&DA) is offering another opportunity to enjoy the diversity of cultures of our small little Island.
According to the Roosevelt Island MST&DA:
Celebrating HOLI and unleash your inner being to a higher level with a
special DANCE CLASS at MSTDA! Saturday, March 19th!DANCE FOR A GREAT CAUSE!
All proceeds from this class will go to a wonderful arts organization
based in India, Kalahrdaya. Their mission is to teach,
preserve and share the beauty of Indian performing arts and reach
underserved populations to educate and provide opportunity.Holi is a popular ancient Hindu festival, also known as the
“Festival of Love”, the “Festival of Colours”
and the “Festival of Spring” and
the perfect occassion to dance together!WHO: ALL LEVELS, FAMILY FRIENDLY
WHEN: March 19th, 3-4pm
WHERE: Large Studio in the Roosevelt Island Cultural
CenterHOW TO JOIN: email info@mstda.org
asap to reserve a spot. Space is limited.*ZOOM option is available. Email
info@mstda.org
for the link.DONATE HERE: Suggested donation $20. Pay what you can.
ABOUT THE CLASS
On March 19th at 3pm, George Drance will be teaching a special dance
class to celebrate Holi. Masala Bhangra is an Indian-dance based
program, designed for people of all ages and fitness levels who love to
stay physically active. Specifically, it introduces high energy
Bhangra and Bollywood dance movements in an easy-to-follow fitness
format, and is a mechanism by which thousands of people have been moved,
touched and inspired to become physically active.
LEARN MOREABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Instructor George Drance has worked as an actor and director in over
twenty-five countries on five continents. He is the artistic director of
Magis Theatre and artitst-in-residence at Fordham Lincoln Center. He has
performed in several dance companies and has been a Masala Bhangra
Ambassador for almost five years.
According to Holi Festival website:
Holi is considered as one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of
India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country. It is also
sometimes called as the festival of love as on this day people get to
unite together forgetting all resentments and all types of bad feeling
towards each other. The great Indian festival lasts for a day and a night,
which starts in the evening of Purnima or the Full Moon Day in the month of
Falgun. It is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi on first
evening of the festival and the following day is called Holi. In different
parts of the country it is known with different names.The vibrancy of colors is something that brings in a lot of positivity in
our lives and Holi being the festival of colours is actually a day worth
rejoicing. Holi is a famous Hindu festival that is celebrated in every part
of India with utmost joy and enthusiasm. The ritual starts by lighting up
the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and this process symbolizes the
triumph of good over the bad. On the day of Holi people play with colours
with their friends and families and in evening they show love and respect to
their close ones with Abeer.
In 2019, Holi was celebrated at the Cornell Tech campus and students Sat and Ammol explained the holiday tradition to me.
For more info about MST&DA theater, music and fitness classes as well as upcoming shows and other events, click here.