October 24, 2013, Rockville, MD, USA. KONARK Dance School, in partnership with MKK-USA, staged “Bandhan” – The Bond, on Sunday, October 20, 2013 at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater, in Rockville, Maryland, USA. Both organizations celebrated their 15th anniversaries, and dedicated this show to the Mothers.
The 500-seat Theater was at capacity, with enthralled audiences lining up the walls.
This amazing presentation of a variety of dances was put together by the director of Konark Dance School (KDS) Mrs. Jayantee Paine-Ganguly, who trained the dancers for eight months and coordinated the presentations of the two guest artists. The Konark Dance School students participated in an excerpt of the dance drama “Krishna Kathak Amruta”, directed by visiting Guru Meera Das of Orissa, India.
Guru Meera Das also presented a beautiful solo dance piece called “Madana Manohara Stotram” which she composed herself.
The Guru and Director of KONARK Dance School, Jayantee Paine-Ganguly presented dances in Kathak, Mohiniattam and Odissi dance styles of India, as well as North African dance and a dance-drama. More than 60 dancers performed that night, in vibrant, colorful costumes, head gear, and jewelry. Guru Jayantee got our hearts pumping with a mesmerizing, fast-paced, solo dance in Kathak style. She later wowed the audience with a lucid, choreographed Odissi piece called “Konark Kanti along with four of her senior dancers – Cyntia Nair, Nirlipta Dixit, Zahra Christine and Divya Das.
Mohiniyattam dance, from Kerela, which is rarely seen in The U.S, was presented by guest artist Sangeetha Menon and KDS student Vandana Vayur.
Zahra christine, a KDS student of Odissi, directed the North African dance group called “Ancient Abundance”. The audience was entertained with many different flavors of dance choreographies, colorful costumes and a variety of music.
“What a nice way to showcase Indian dance, art and culture, and 15 years of hard work in America,” said Minister Counselor Tarun Mohindra of the Embassy of India. He gave remarks on behalf of Her Excellency Mrs. Nirupama Rao, the Ambassador of India to the United States.
Maryland House Majority Leader, Delegate Kumar Barve, the Dean of the Indian legislators in the USA, commended the work of both organizations, and highlighted his long association with MKK-USA Founder, Dr. Pradeep Ganguly. He recalled that Dr. Ganguly was his first supporter, when he first ran for elected office back in 1988.
Montgomery County Executive Mr. Isiah “Ike” Leggett highlighted the significant contribution of Indian Americans in Montgomery County, Maryland – the most diverse and welcoming community in America. He presented a County Executive’s citation to MKK-USA and KDS for their work to promote the arts and culture, as well as for their charitable work in the community.
The evening ended with a much-anticipated visit from Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, who was busy all day campaigning for his Gubernatorial race in Western Maryland. He stopped by to deliver a keynote address urging the Indian-American community to get engaged at the State and local levels, and pledged to work closely with the community during his term in public office.
Kerala Café, a new restaurant in Maryland, served delicious Indian food at very reasonable prices.
The organizers recognized the following sponsors and donors: DELTA Airlines, Rahul Dhawan, US-China Education and Cultural Exchange Association, Manish Kothari, Bob Nathan, Sanjay Puri, Sam Chan, George Dang, G. B. Bose and the WRPS, Ramesh Khurana, Shobhana Sharma, Vipin Desai, Nanda Sen, Mukesh Majmudar, Ashante Abubakar, Lisa Liu and Montez Anderson.
KDS provides training in various forms of Indian classical dance, and has studios in Herndon, Virginia and Rockville, Maryland. MKK-USA is a 501©3 organization that provides educational support and humanitarian aid. For further information, please call 703-450-4291, or visit: www.konarkdanceschool.org or www.mkkusa.org
Company Name: MANAV KALYAN KENDRA-USA, INC.
Contact Person: Joy Paine
Email:Send Email
Phone: 703-450-4291
Address:1314 Shallow Ford Road, Herndon, VA 20170
Country: United States
Website: http://www.mkkusa.com
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