Page 25 - The Indian EYE 070122

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JULY 01, 2022 | The Indian Eye 25

NJ’s Largest Color Walk & Festival of Dance &

Music Attracts Thousands

OUR BUREAU
New York, NY
urati’s HOLI HAI, the largest
and longest-running Color Walk
Sand Festival of Dance, Music
and Colors celebrated its 13th year
in Jersey City and Hoboken on Sat-
urday, June 18th, the official culmina-
tion of the spring season. Hundreds
of participants began their colorful
journey at City Hall in Jersey City,
where they participated in dance and
yoga workshops and enjoyed perfor-
mances of Indian classical jazz fusion,
African dance and traditional Indian
folk dances.
The revelers then participated in
a color countdown and embarked on
the Color Walk from Jersey City to
Hoboken along the Hudson River,
which involved beating drums, color
throwing and lots of cheering and
dancing. Upon arrival at the Hobo-
ken train station, Mayor Ravi Bhalla
welcomed the group and escorted
them to Pier A Park, where the party-
ing continued into the early evening
with food vendors, clothing and jew-
elry stands, live dance and music per-
formances, as well as a DJ. All in all,
this live event attracted more than
5000 people during the entire day.
“Holi is the Indian festival of col-
ors celebrating spring and the harvest
season, said Rimli Roy, acclaimed
visionary, artist, producer, choreog-
rapher, dancer and Artistic Direc-
tor of Surati. “HOLI HAI has been
created to EDU-TAIN the commu-
nity-at-large on Indian art and cul-
ture and convey the universal mes-
sages of love, acceptance, peace and
brotherhood, which is ‘when every-
one is colorful, no one is different!’”
HOLI HAI also helps raise
funds for Surati’s artistic program-
ming throughout the year. This year,
HOLI HAI is supported by New
Jersey Travel and Tourism, Hud- DANCE & MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
son County Travel and Tourism,
Horizon Blue Cross-Blue Shield
of NJ, ICICI Bank Money 2 India, • Bollywood guest artists Rajiv Roy and sitar by Shiv Alisha Desai, Tanya Chauhan, Bi-
the City of Jersey City, the City of and Priyani Vani Panditt • Percussions by Ngor Jallow and neet Kaur and others, led and di-
Hoboken, Jersey City Cultural Af- • Aztec Native American dance Lautaro Burgos rected by Rimli Roy
fairs and New Jersey City University. troupe Kalpuli Kamaxtle Xiucoatl • Bihu folk dance from Assam, fea- • Surati student performers include:
In the fall, Surati is planning a • Belly Dancer Janelle Issis and turing Moushumi Phukan Aratika Sarkar, Rijah Baner-
Broadway-style musical called RA- group • Indian classical, folk, fusion and jee, Aanya Mukherjee, Elizabeth
MAVAN, focused on bringing to • Jazz fusion by Jersey City saxo- Bollywood by Surati dance team Johnson, Roma Das, Isha Tripathy
life the story of Lord Ram and Sita. phonist Zach Herchen (Con Vivo) Shayna Malhotra, Laxmi Gusain, and Ahana Dalmia

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