(Flushing, N.Y.) —
In celebration of Spring and new beginnings, Flushing Town Hall will present its annual Holi Dance Concert on Saturday, April 6. Curated by Abha Roy, the artistic director of Srijan Dance Company and a teaching artist at Flushing Town Hall, the afternoon will feature dance, music, and food.
The program will begin with a card making workshop at 12:30 p.m. where participants will create a mixed media Holi card by printing with carved wood block designs from India on colorful cardstock. Traditionally, people "paint" each other with powdered pigment. In that spirit, participants will create vibrant cards with pop-up Holi messages.
At 2:00 p.m., with lively colors and movements, the Srijan Dance Company and Anup Das Dance Academy (ADDA) will introduce audiences to folk and classical dances from India’s diverse states. They will be accompanied by Naren Budhakar, master of the Indian tabla drums and a vocal artist, and by Abhik Mukherjee, Indian classical sitar player. Queens Curry Kitchen, founded by Nupur Arora, will be selling their delicious Indian food and snacks. This program is generously supported in part by a grant from the Guru Krupa Foundation.
Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is a popular Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of Spring, as well as the concepts of love, new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, and the end of conflict. The festival is predominantly celebrated in India, but is also widely celebrated in other South Asian, Caribbean and North American countries. Traditions vary from country to country, but popular festivities often include bonfires and the throwing of colorful powders. In 2024, Holi will be celebrated on March 25, but the date changes each year as the festival always falls on Purnima, or the day of the full moon during the lunar month of Phalguna.
“Holi has been celebrated in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, marking the beginning of a colorful spring after a long, dark winter, symbolic of the triumph of good over evil. We are delighted to again bring together incredible artists and delicious food to offer an authentic, colorful and lively Holi celebration for all to experience,” said Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. "We encourage audiences of all ages to come welcome spring at our Holi celebration this April."
“Our full focus for this year’s Holi celebration at Flushing Town Hall is on peace, harmony and love. Holi is a time where friends, families, and villages come together to share their happiness with each other,” said Abha Roy, teaching artist and curator of the Holi Dance Concert at Flushing Town Hall. “I am delighted that my dancers and I will share the space with skillful musicians Naren Budhakar and Abhik Mukherjee, and talented chef Nupur Arora”
About Abha Roy
Abha Roy is the artistic director of Srijan Dance Center and Flushing Town Hall's annual Diwali Festival. A master of Kathak dance, she studied under the guidance of late great Guru Kundan Lal Gangani and attained professional precision under the training of late Pt. Durgalal when she completed her specialization in Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. She represented the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and has taught and performed in South America, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. She has also performed throughout Europe and venues such as Lincoln Center, Banff Art Center, Flushing Town Hall, Queens Museum, NYC Cultural Festival, and many more.
About Naren Budhakar
Naren Budhakar is a versatile tabla player who has accompanied prominent vocal, instrumental and dance maestros. He has also contributed his tabla to varied music genres including pop, rock, Irish Celtic and jazz. He has played at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Museum, Getty Museum, Indian Ambassador's residence, the U.S. Open tennis stadium and also abroad including France, Czech Republic and Scandinavia. He was featured as the guest artist on a percussion C.D. with conga maestro Paoli Mejias, which was nominated for the Latin Grammy awards. Naren is a disciple of Ustad Shabbir Nisar with whom he continues to study. He has also been studying singing North Indian classical music with Aditya Khandwe, a leading young maestro from Mumbai, India.
About Abhik Mukherjee
Abhik Mukherjee is an Indian classical sitar artist known for his passion, charisma, and spontaneity as a performer and improviser. He received his musical training from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves the disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. Abhik began his sitar training at the age of six in Kolkata, India under the guidance of his father. His first performance was at the age of nine at the Governor’s House in Kolkata. Abhik has performed and given workshops in India, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Suriname, Colombia, Cuba, and Argentina. He has performed as a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic and shared the stage with Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Abhik has directed music for independent documentaries and composed and performed music for Hollywood films. Abhik is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a popular artist collective in NYC.
About Queens Curry Kitchen
Nupur Arora is the owner of Queens Curry Kitchen. Fashion designer-turned chef, Nupur started Queens Curry Kitchen as a way to explore her creative endeavors with food and a diverse palette. What started as a hobby soon became hugely popular amongst Indian students of a prestigious New York university who loved her home-style food that reminded them of food made by their moms. Today Chef Arora is the author of a book, “The Vegan Indian Home,” with many others in the works, but continues to share her flavors with her food through catering and events, and weekly meal delivery service, all from her Queens Curry Kitchen.
About Anup Das Dance Academy
Anup Das Dance Academy (ADDA) was founded in 2020 by the late Guru Anup K. Das. ADDA promotes and preserves South Asian music, arts and dance. It also aims to promote and teach South Asian languages, literature, and culture among the younger generation of South Asians living in the U.S.
SAT, APRIL 6 — LOCATION: Flushing Town Hall Theater
Card Making Workshop: 12:30 PM
Dance Concert: 2:00 PM
Tickets: Holi Card Making Workshop: $5 General Admission/ $4 Members
Dance Concert: $15 General Admission / $10 Members, Seniors, & Students w/ID
For the venue’s upcoming events, visit https://www.flushingtownhall.org/fth-presents
For those unable to attend events in person, Flushing Town Hall has launched Culture Stream. Subscriptions start at $5 per month.
COVID Policy:
Flushing Town Hall no longer requires visitors or performers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19; wearing a mask is optional but recommended. For more details, please visit www.flushingtownhall.org/covid-safety
Support Global Arts with a Gift Today!
All gifts of $50 or more give you exclusive Flushing Town Hall Circle of Friends membership with benefits including a Smithsonian membership, ticket discounts, and more! Donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.
https://www.flushingtownhall.org/circle-of-friends
Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization and receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Laurie Cumbo; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and New York City Council Members Sandra Ung, Tiffany Caban, Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Vickie Paladino, Lynn Schulman, and Julie Won; Howard Gilman Foundation, Guru Krupa Foundation, Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation; Lily Auchincloss Foundation; Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
To view current donor lists, please visit www.flushingtownhall.org/donor-listings
About Flushing Town Hall
Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
Flushing Town Hall is a proud member of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), a collective of 34 nonprofit museums, performing arts centers, historical societies, zoos, and botanical gardens across all five boroughs with a distinct private-public partnership with the City of New York and a commitment to serving all New Yorkers.
Land Acknowledgement:
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations
