The second week of the Contemporary Dance Theatre's tour in India began with a special treat. The group was able to give one of the first firesides for the Hyderabad Stake, the first stake in India.The second night in Hyderabad included an interactive family home evening with the BYU group and the young single adults from the stake. It was an exciting privilege for the BYU students to help celebrate the new stake in India, and many of the members later attended the performance of 'The Rhythm of Life'.
While in Hyderabad, the group was able to visit the historic Golconda Fort, ruins of a 400 year-old city and fort from the Qutub Shahi Dynasty. This impressive complex wowed the students with its sheer size and former opulence. The area was famous for diamond mines and in fact is the location where the Hope Diamond was mined.
Next, the group traveled on to Bangalore for a nearly sold-out performance in Chowdiah Memorial Hall. The sponsors for this performance included the International Music and Arts Society who presented the group in 2001 along with Titan Watches and Fastrack Sunglasses, two famous brands in India.
The performance was so well received that during the intermission a large company approached the tour manager and asked if the group could return to Bangalore on August 18th to perform for a private event they were sponsoring. The performances' sponsors thrilled at the performance and spoke of the next time the group was to return.
At the heart of the contemporary dance movement in India is a company and a school named Attakkalari. Their senior dance students enjoyed a workshop from the BYU dancers in a couple of styles of dance that they would normally not have received in their course of studies at Attakkalari.
A cultural highlight for the tour came as the group visited Nrityagram Dance outside of Bangalore. This is a complex where dancers live to learn the art of traditional Indian dance. While there the group was able to witness classes being taught by masters. A few of the BYU dancers were also able to learn a few simple movements. This experience was especially nice because the Nrityagram Dance Company will be traveling to Utah to perform at BYU this coming season.
Performances this week have been covered by eight newspapers and three television stations. In a country with the population of India, this means coverage to millions.
As the week ended, the group was tired but happy. Luckily, the blackouts that made world news were far away from where the group has traveled so far. With two cities, two concerts, five workshops, and an interactive fireside left on tour, the group will continue to have a transforming experience in India.