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.”
