Bollywood dance has taken much of the world by storm, but India’s renowned artistic export is still largely unknown in Flin Flon.
Dr. Chaitasi Intwala hopes to change that. Next month, the Flin Flon physician will present an extravagant showcase of Indian dance and culture.
“This never has happened before in Flin Flon,” says Dr. Intwala, who hails from western India, where she was trained in classical dance.
The evening will feature five elaborate dances choreographed by Dr. Intwala and featuring exclusively local performers outfitted in traditional Indian costumes.
Dr. Intwala has been busy teaching Bollywood dancing to nearly 30 volunteer dancers, including several colleagues from the Flin Flon General Hospital.
Easy to learn
Given that Bollywood is a freestyle dance, Dr. Intwala says anyone can learn it.
“There is no right and wrong,” she says.
Indian food will be served during the showcase, which will also include a fashion show and a more Canadian flavour of entertainment courtesy of local musicians.
Scheduled for Sept. 25 at the R.H. Channing Auditorium, the evening will serve as the first fundraiser for the new hospital emergency room.
Dr. Intwala said the Bollywood showcase will be a small but important step in fulfilling the private fundraising requirement for the new ER.
“What I thought is that if everybody adds a little drop, then drop by drop we can fill in a sea,” she says.
Bollywood dance takes its name from the affectionate term for India’s film industry. This co-opting is appropriate given how prominently song and dance factor into Indian movies.
“In a three-hour movie that we see, there has to be five to six songs and there should be a couple of dances,” Dr. Intwala says.
Anyone interested in dancing or otherwise volunteering for the Bollywood event may call or text Dr. Intwala at
204-298-6865.
