The Blackstone Valley India Society (http://bvis.org/) celebrates Diwali every year and holds a huge cultural function filled with talented dancers, singers and actors. This was their 12th year in a row and it was held at Grafton High School on Saturday December 10th.  The high school cafeteria and stage was decorated beautifully by the whole BVIS team. The program started off with a address from the president Sudhakara Gurrala with Diwali greetings and congratulating the member’s positive contribution to our community by participating in the Jimmy Fund Walk and Food drive. This year two new segments: ramayana, a spectacular light and sound show by kids and the Nach Baliye dance competition.

The  Emcee's of the grandeur show were Neetu Gupta and Harbaldeep Singh. There were 33 acts which included a display of a variety of different Indian cultures including classical dance and singing, folk and bollywood dance, and even Bhangra! The Fashion Show took place for the second year. The clothes were created by  designer Renu Gupta of S’mbles  and presented by beautiful models. Amar Dhaliwal, Miss India New England runner up also made an appearance!

Ramayana was a special show introduced for the first time ever. It was amazing to see how the story all came together. The special part was that it intrigued people of all ages. Everyone was so excited whenever it came on. You could tell how much work was put in it by everyone involved. The show was directed by Harbaldeep Singh.

The Nach Baliye dance competition was a huge hit with audience. Judges’ panel included Hema Iyenger, Shaila Verma and Kalaimangal Anbalagan, well-known dance teachers’ from the area. After the competition, there was a online voting poll where audience members could vote for their favorite dance group. The order of the winners goes as follows:

     1st Place : Folk Dance - 'Punjab de Patakhe' Bhangra

     1st Runner up: Bollywood Dance from Angikam Dance School

     2nd Runner up: Grafton Rockstars - Junior Girls

All six performances in the competition were amazing. The Grafton Rockstars- Junior girls made the audience extremely happy with their cute dance moves and sparkly/spontaneous  costumes and choreography. The Bollywood dance from Angikam Dance school was really beautiful and their use of umbrellas jazzed up their dance. Their traditional costumes looked great on the stage. Everyone was screaming the Punjabi group’s name when they were announcing the winners. The energetic dance pumped the whole audience up. The Bhangra group members were overjoyed with their victory.

The medals and trophies were sponsored and presented by Elina Pirovich from RSM Shrewsbury. A special thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors: RSM Shrewsbury, Math Altitude, Kumon, Pepperoni Pizza, Film Neev, Khel, Sumathi Narayanan Reality, Center for Arts and Wellness, and Paradise Biryani Pointe of Westboro.

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