Chicago IL: Over 200 people gathered to witness talent of Illinois area with outstanding performances of talent by youth. Association of Indians in America, Inc. Illinois Chapter proudly organized ‘Group Dance Competition 2015 – Youth Talent Show on Sunday – August 2, 2015 at Hinsdale Community House, 415W. 8th street, Hinsdale, IL 60521 from 4:00pm to 7pm. This was a unique performance by the best in the Indian community. High voltage dance performances were presented by 7 top teams from Illinois which was appreciated by more than 200 strong cheering spectators.
Shri Nakul Singh Chand, Midwest Manager for Air India, Neil Patel, Medstar Lab, Judges Chandra Dash, Sonal Patel and Sujata Sharma and Lions District Governor were invited guest.
The program opened with National Anthems of US and India sung by Anil Sharma. Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey introduced Salil Mishra, President, AIA Illinois, who in his welcome remarks said AIA has always endeavored to put the youth at the forefront and tried to achieve the objectives of the association by implementing its strategies. He thanked the Board for its support and welcomed all those present and also applauded the efforts put in by the youth.
Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Chairman, Board of Trustees, said AIA has always put special emphasis on youth programs from the beginning of its inception and has organized youth programs every year. Dr. Pandey gave a brief of the functioning of AIA in Illinois and complemented Salil Mishra, Beena Patel, Santosh Pandey, Sujata Sharma, Jignesh Jagaria and Anil Sharma for bringing in their expertise and resources to the organization and making the programs of the AIA a success.
Santosh Pandey, Treasurer, AIA conducted the program and did an excellent job as a Master of Ceremony. Thirteen groups participated in the youth talent competition – Bollywood Medley by Tarang, Andaz-E-Mughal by Anila Sinha Foundation, dances by Sonia’s Dance Rhythm, Rang Dini by Anila Sinha Foundation, Odissi by Utkalaa Center for Dance, Bollywood dance by Bollywood Thumkas, dances by Narthana Dance Academy and Aham Brahmasmi by Nartan Dance Academy. In between Suraj Patnaik, Lisa Mishra and Anil Sharma entertained the audience with their sweet rendition of classical, English and Bollywood songs.
At the end competition winners were announced by Dr. Pandey and Beena Patel invited all the participating groups on stage and commended their performances and said it was difficult for the judges to decide who the best is. The winners were: 1 st. Odissi by Utkalaa Dance Center, 2 nd. Bollywood Medley by Tarang and 3 rd. classical dance by Narthana. The winners as well as all participants were given certificates by the dignitaries on the stage.
Each group performed with their unique style and rhythm. The dance competition consisting of Odissi, Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Bollywood and fusion dance truly represented India. The quality and performance of each and every group was commendable which the audience appreciated with cheers and applauses.
The 1st. Prize $750 went to Odissi Group from Utkalaa Dance Center ( performers: Sunamika Panigrahy, Brinda Gupta and Sabrina Khuntia), 2nd Prize $500 to Bollywood Medley by Tarang (performers: Rhea Shrivastava, Kanika Punhani, Ragini Sharma, Aashna Shah, Shristi Paul, Vasudha Pandey) and 3rd. Prize $300 to Narthana Dance Institute (performers: Anusha Naidu and Laxmi Lalasa).
The Association of Indians in America (AIA) Illinois Chapter Executive Committee comprises of President Salil Mishra; Chairman Board of Trustees Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey; Vice Presidents Beena Patel and Shaheen Sayeed; Secretary Jignesh Jagaria; Treasurer Santosh Pandey; Committee Members- Anil Sharma, Lucy Pandey, Sujata Sharma, Om Dhingra, Vinod Bansal, Prem Mehrotra, Manoranjan Mishra, Ashish Sen, and Nand Kapoor.
The Association of Indians in America (AIA) is the oldest national association of Asian Indians in America. It was founded on August 20, 1967 after the United States Congress passed the Immigration Act during 1965-66, repealing the Asian Exclusion Act of 1917. The Constitution of the AIA was adopted in 1970 and was incorporated in 1971. AIA obtained the IRS exempt status in 1973. AIA is the grass root national organization of Asian Immigrants in the United States, fostered on the democratic principles of “one member one vote”, with chapters and membership spread across the United States of America. AIA represents the hopes and aspirations of those immigrants who are united by their common bond of Indian Heritage and American Commitment. Sponsors were Millennium Bank, Air India, Jignesh Jagaria, General Energy Corp, Anil Sharma (Insurance World Agency), Patel Brothers and Medstar Lab. The vote of thanks was proposed by Beena Patel who thanked the Dance Gurus for continuing dance education to our children and parents and keeping our culture alive for years to come by instilling traditional values in them.
