International troupes light up dance fest

AHMEDABAD: To mark the beginning of the

World Heritage Week

, the International Dance Festival was inaugurated in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Dance troupes from Zimbabwe and Vietnam have been featured at the festival, which is organized by FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) along with the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations

and Avanti Foundation. Folk artists from Punjab, Assam, Manipur, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Gujarat also performed.

“The idea behind holding this festival in Ahmedabad is to celebrate the

World Heritage City

status that has been awarded to the city,” said Pavani Bakeri Agarwal, the chairperson of FLO’s Ahmedabad chapter. “We aim to achieve an artistic high with the festival. For those who appreciate performing arts, this will be an ideal celebration — the best place to interact with global and domestic participants.”

Vuthi Anh Philong, counsellor, political and cultural section of the embassy of Vietnam, said: “The performance by our team is the cham towers, which is native to the Cham province of Vietnam. The dance is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped in central Vietnam.”

The Hwamanda dance troupe from Zimbabwe will perform a mix of three dance forms: Chimyambera, the hunter’s dance; Mbende Jerusarema, an initiation dance; and Dinha, which celebrates harvest. “These performances in the World Heritage City of Ahmedabad is a matter of pride for us,” said Tesa Chikaponya, executive director, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. “Such programmes will help bring India and Zimbabwe closer and build stronger cultural and trade relations.”

Some 2,500 spectators are expected at the two-day dance festival which will be held at

Shreyas Foundation

. “The festival has been designed to represent a unity of cultures and will facilitate a global exchange of thought through an assimilation of diverse cultural expressions,” said Shilpa Patel, the treasurer of FLO’s Ahmedabad chapter. Dance forms such as bhangra and gidda from Punjab, bihu from Assam, dhol cholom from Manipur, dollu kunitha from Karnataka, dangi nritya, garba and ras dandiya from Gujarat will be among the key attractions.