Dance Dreams Are Realized at Academy’s Annual Recital
For one magical Sunday afternoon on 4th May 2003, the Atlanta Symphony Hall at the prestigious Woodruff Arts Center was transformed into a colorful venue for the Kruti Dance Academy's 8th Annual Dance Recital. The hall was packed to capacity with hundreds of parents, family, friends and well wishers who turned up to watch a pageant of dances put up by Academy Director Dina Sheth and the talented students who are training in the classical dance form of Bharatnatyam
The theme of this year's show was "Kruti Dreams". It portrayed the transition of the academy from its humble beginnings as a classical dance school to offering a more wholesome cultural and entertainment experience. This year's annual show was the largest and most glamorous ever in the history of the academy.
The first segment of the show featured 16 fabulous classical dances performed by students at different stages of their training. The students portrayed grace, elegance and their obvious thrill on being on such a wonderful stage. The whole spectacle of dance, beautiful colorful costumes and music flowed effortless and kept the audience enthralled.
The second segment of the program was choreographed against some popular contemporary film and the very energetic fusion and hip-hop music under the instruction of the talented Ms. Sissy Alfanso. This hugely entertaining display by students showed the versatility of their classical Bharatnatyam training applied to more contemporary dance. There was a lot of energy and fun element in this year's performance.
The finale brought the house down as a young dancer, Shivany Bhakta, was lowered from the ceiling to perform her dance, Daiya along with some very talented dancers. The years of discipline, dedication and perseverance showed as the students performed their dances. In a moving finale of the routine of several dances, Dina Sheth (known affectionately to them as Dina Auntie), also joined in the choreography and provided a glimpse of her exceptional dance talent to a spellbound audience.
At the end of the performance Dina Sheth showed off the entire academy on-stage. There were boys and girls of various ages in their wonderful traditional costumes, ending another year of dedicated hard work by acknowledging their families and teacher. You could not be sure who was prouder: the students, their parents and family or Dina Sheth and her assistants. If parents' wonder about all the effort of taking their children for lessons and the hard work their children put in at the dance training ? surely this showed the fruits of their rewards. There must have been more than a few misty eyes as students, some as young as 5, performed magnificently undaunted by such a prestigious venue.
- Smita Daya
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