Yaad Dance
Yaad is an organization founded by experienced, teenage kathak dancers. We believe dance holds the power to tell stories but also the power to invoke memories of these stories. So, by performing dances that tell stories of our religion and culture to senior citizens, we hope to keep our heritage alive. At the same time, remind them of the stories of their childhood by providing happiness, curing elderly depression to some degree, and upregulating positive emotions.
Our first performance was at Arista Care in Cedar Oaks, New Jersey. We performed Guru Vandana, Saraswati Vandana, and Pancham Sawari. Guru Vandana is about thanking our gurus and god; is traditionally done at the beginning of any performance and show. Saraswati Vandana is a tribute to Saraswati Mata, the goddess of knowledge, and the dance itself contains mini stories about Radha and Krishna. Finally, Pancham Sawari, also called Vishnu Vandana, is a prayer to Lord Vishnu, the god of preservation. The Vandana starts with toras and ends with ghats, the ghats being about peacocks and their mannerisms. The second ghat is a tribute to Goddess Ganga. Throughout our performance, we were able to connect with the audience and remind them of stories they heard in their childhood.
One of the seniors at Arista Care elaborated on how it was important to preserve one’s culture in a country with different cultures. “In my life, I have seen many dances, but I have never seen such a dance that embodies our culture so well.” stated one of the attendees.
