In celebration of the 183rd anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to British Guiana, the Indo Caribbean Society through Texila American University on Tuesday presented Nrityageet International Virtual 2021. Unlike its usual stage productions, this year’s event was a fusion of dance videos from Nrityageet 40 and from dancers in the diaspora.
“This year we celebrated Indian arrival, not on the stage of the National Cultural Centre, but on the stages of our sitting rooms, our backyards, iconic sights in our individual communities, and with dance theatre for Nrityageet 40,” Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe Director Seeta Shah Roath said. “A virtual Nrityageet does hold new challenges but bypasses the number of challenges and emotional trauma associated with the staged performances we have endured over 40 years. We had hundreds of viewers from Guyana, India, Suriname, Trinidad, Jamaica, Canada, USA, United Kingdom and more. Nrityageet Diaspora continue to create and teach in their dance studios where they continue to share our rich heritage unencumbered by politics and other interfering and stagnating influences. The kinds of stagnating realities that have caused our Nrityageet live staged performance to come to an end in 2019 with Nrityageet 40 – after 40 years of celebrating Indian Immigration, then Indian Arrival. Our Nadira and Indranie Shah Dance Troupe is alive although dispersed from Guyana to communities across the globe, teaching, performing, and sharing.”
Shah Roath is also chair of the Indo Caribbean Society.
Many of the dancers living in various parts of the globe were students of the dance troupe who moved away and still participate in dance from time to time or have opened their own dance schools, she said. When the team decided to put on a virtual show this year, past dance students were thrilled to be a part of an event that had played a great part in their lives.
Shah Roath explained that quite a few videos were not included as part of this Tuesday’s event as the quality was not as good.
Earlier in the day, prior to the airing of the virtual production, the Indo Caribbean Society also hosted a webinar through which viewers were educated on the arrival of Indian indentured labourers, common linkages, and shared cultures/value systems. Those who presented at the seminar were Professor David Dabydeen, Dr Maurits S Hassankhan, Dr Radika Mahase, Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine, Dr Vishnu Bisram and Praem Rambharak who was the moderator.
Acknowledging those who helped make the event a success, Shah Roath said, “…We give special thanks to all those dancers and dance teachers who took the extra effort to create new costumes, new choreographies, and video themselves in performance in their homes, in their backyards, in landmark places where they now reside, to mention a few. Thanks also to those who tried so hard, but their videos never made it. We know what a sacrifice it was and what courage it took to create in this pandemic situation. Thank you all so very much.
“Thanks also to those who performed for Nrityageet 40 and shared those performances today in celebration of Indian arrival – 183 years since our ancestors … planting the roots, allowing our heritage to grow and blossom, into new and integrated pastures, yet maintaining a purity even as we embrace diversity, yet celebrate our uniqueness, and shared futures.”
