Two of Essequibo’s leading dance troupes last weekend took the top spots at the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s Rang Rasiya Folk Dance competition.
The event, hosted at the Dharmic Sanskritik Kendra, at Prashad Nagar last Saturday, was held to usher in Phagwah celebrations.
Outshining other dance troupes were the Sara-swattie Dance Academy and Kandhiya Dance Troupe, which copped first and second, respectively, in the competition. The Golden Om Dharmic Dance Troupe, from Berbice, placed third.
Other dance troupes that took part included Tandavas Performing Arts, Jewan Ka Nritya, Kevin Dance Academy, and Queen’s College. There were also performances by several outstanding artistes, including Sookrane Boodhoo, Rekha Singh-Ranglall, Suraj Singh, Kishan Sugrim, Gaindra and Sonia Raghubeer.
Sursattie Singh, founder of the Saraswattie Dance Academy, said that she was proud of her dancers and it was not the first time they took home the trophy in the folk dance competition. She said that her dancers would spend hours to get their dance pieces just right.
Singh added that the dancers took part in the competition after a four year hiatus from stage. She thanked her sister, Priya Nauth, as well as Vivek Bharrat for ensuring the dancers were trained for the competition. She also said that all of the costumes were designed by her sister and Bharrat. Nauth said this year was quite challenging for them since she had to teach the girls to dance and also dance with them.
Ravindra Deowattie, choreographer and dance teacher of the Kandhiya Dance Troupe, said it was the fifth year his group took part in the folk festival.
The concept of their dance, he explained, was a showcase of the traditional folklore of the worshippers of Lord Shiva. His dancers performed as the Agori People, all decked in skulls and tiger skins, with rudraksha beads as accessories and ashes smeared all over their body. The dance consisted of many stunts, which kept the roaring crowd entertained.
