The Indian community in Wyndham saw the opening of a new Indian dance School, Jhankaar, on Saturday, 26 April, hosted at Jamieson Way Community Centre in Point Cook. Jhankaar (the Hindi word for ‘ring’ or ‘chime’) brings to the table the opportunity to learn various Indian dance forms under one roof including kathak, bharatnatyam, semi-classical, Indian contemporary and Bollywood dancing.
Around 100 Wyndham residents and the city councillor Gautam Gupta were present at the ceremony. Cr Gupta lit the traditional lamp to mark the opening and welcome and encourage the community to take advantage of the opportunity.
The founders and teachers of Jhankaar — Deepshikha and Saheli — made a presentation on their teaching methodology during the opening ceremony, emphasising on how they customise their courses based on needs. They explained that in the first term students are exposed to various Indian dance forms followed by parent-student-teacher conferences to develop a training roadmap for individuals.
Jhankaar, said its founders, is open to all age groups including mums and dads and young adults wanting to learn how to shake a leg.
For more than a decade now, Deepshikha and Saheli have been instrumental in training kids and adults and organizing several large scale dance performances in USA, Singapore, India, and over the last two years, here in Wydham, the western suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Both of them are professionally trained in kathak and bharatnatyam, and have lived in USA and Singapore, where they have organised large scale dance training programs and social events.
With Jhankaar promising to make dance fun with their unique approach, the Indian community now has an easy learning opportunity at their door step.
(Published in The Indian Sun) Indian Magazine in Melbourne
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