9th Bollywood and Multicultural Dance Festival

18 June 202318 June 2023 elinepa

Under the Auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO)
the City of Athens and the International Dance Council (CID)

30^th June – 2^nd July 2023 in Athens, Greece

2 Unique Shows at Dora Stratou Theatre on Saturday and Sunday

East and West, two seemingly separate worlds, will come together at the biggest Extravaganza of 2023, the 9^th Bollywood and Multicultural Dance Festival in Athens, Greece.

Three days of deep culture immersion, full of music, dancing, mystery, charm, and endless aesthetics.

“Greece has always been a crossroad between East and West, where diverse cultures met and have evolved over millennia. From India and Middle East to North Africa and the Mediterranean Basin, ethnically diverse communities come to close contact by exchanging various characteristics of their culture and all forms of Art. The Festival aims to highlight this magical amalgamation of cultures emphasizing the role of Dance and Music, and to provide the opportunity to discover the magic and the beauty of this peaceful gathering of nations – beyond geographical boundaries – at this modern world that we live in.”

Within the spectrum of this Festival, dancers, musicians, singers as well as intellectuals from Greece and abroad will participate. In addition, workshops will take place in combination with presentations, performance and lots of other activities.

14 DANCE WORKSHOPS

As for the educational part of the festival, the participants will have the opportunity to attend a variety of dance workshops from renowned artists from Greece and abroad, with various dance styles such as: Bollywood, Classical Indian Dances (Kathak, Bharatanatyam), Rajastani, Western και Retro Bollywood, Bhangra, Garba, Saidi (Egyptian Folklore Dance) and more.

The participants also get to attend the Bollywood Dance Master Training with our International Guest Teachers of “Be a Bollywood Dance Professor” program.

A glimpse into the list of the Dance Professionals this year: The founder of the “1st Bollywood Dance Academy Greece”, Teacher, Choreographer and Performer Anna Dimitratou, our choreographer,

teacher and performer, Sumon Rudra, Leena Patel from United Kingdom, Navjot Minhas from Belgium, Sonia Tharani from India, Kinga Malec from Poland, Sneha Mistri from Spain, Krystal Chow from Hong Kong, Amine Amoura and Mélodie Toussaint from France, Kleoniki Karachaliou from Greece, and Hassan BolBol from Egypt.

2 UNIQUE SHOWS

The Highlight of the festival is the two Amazing Shows at the historic Dora Stratou Theatre, in the heart of Athens, with the Filopappos green hill background, on 1st July (Saturday) and 2nd July (Sunday) 2023. The audience will have a treat to witness a plethora of dance styles from all over the world and multicultural character by great artists from Greece and abroad, as well as exclusive choreographies from 1st Bollywood Dance Academy Greece.

With extravagant Bollywood choreographies and the Indian element at the forefront, the founder of 1st Bollywood Dance Academy Greece, Anna Dimitratou and the Indian Bollywood dance performer, teacher and choreographer Sumon Rudra, accompanied by members of the Academy and a number of internationally recognized teachers and dancers, gradually lead us from the dance tradition of East and West as evolution of this tradition today. Thus, we will all become “witnesses” of the eternal dance creation, giving the great message that Art gives birth to civilization, unites, but above all elevates man to joy, which is his true nature!

The shows include performances from renowned artists such as the Internationally renowned Bollywood dance performer, teacher and choreographer Leena Patel from UK, Navjot Minhas, professional dancer, choreographer and Bhangra dance teacher from Belgium, Sonia Tharani from Spain, Krystal Chow from Hong Kong, the Indian Classical and folk dancer and choreographer from Poland Kinga Malec, the singer and performer Sneha Mistri from Spain, Amine Amoura Bollywood dance teacher and choreographer from France, the exceptional Hassan Bolbol Al Tannnoura from Egypt, Mélodie Toussaint from France, as well as others dance groups from Greece and Abroad, such as Beyond Bollywood from Hong Kong, Intradance Academy from Romania, Folk Dance Group “Enalia Gi” presenting Cypriot Folk Dances, Caucasus Cultural Centre with Georgian Dances, Bollybandits from Switzerland, Association of Greek Dances & Folklore Research “Elliniki Paradosi”, Dance Group Al-Awda of the Palestinian Community in Greece, Chandrika Kathak Company with classical Indian Dances, Indissy Group from France and Fireflies Dance Crew by Eirini Peristeri Gymnastics Association, that will take spectators to the magical world of dance and movement.

The 8^th International Bollywood Dance Competition

The Festival will host the “8^th International Bollywood Dance Competition” in Greece, organized by “Oriental Expression Awards”. The competition will be held at Dora Stratou Theatre, Saturday, 1^st July front of an 10-member Judges Panel, and it will be divided into two levels (amateur and professional) and two categories (solo and group). The winners will be honored with presents and awards.

Mini Bazaar and Indian Food

During the Workshops, the 2 amazing Shows and the Competition, a Mini Bazaar will be operating in the Theater. At the same time, participants will be able to try Indian snacks by Jaipur Palace Plaka.

The Opening Party

The Opening Party that marks the onset of the Festival is a welcome party full of dance surprises, where every friend and visitor of the Festival WILL BE THERE!!! The party will take place on Friday, 30^th June, at MACAW BEACH BAR (Akti tou Iliou – Alimos).

The Social Action of the Festival

During both Shows, the “Child’s Voice” (Association for the Support of Children with Cancer), the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Environmental Organization WWF Greece will be with us!

Organizers

The Festival is organized by the Artistic Studio Oriental Expression and 1^st Bollywood Academy Greece, in collaboration with the Hellenic-Indian Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA), under the Auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), the City of Athens and the International Dance Council (CID).

ΠΡΟΠΩΛΗΣΗ ΕΙΣΙΤΗΡΙΩΝ:

Entrance for the dance shows on 1st and 2nd July 2023: 15 euro (1 Show), 20 euro (2 Shows).