Flushing Town Hall Will Host Annual Holi Dance Concert

In celebration of Spring and new beginnings, Flushing Town Hall will present its annual Holi Dance Concert on Saturday, April 6. Curated by Abha Roy, the artistic director of Srijan Dance Company and a teaching artist at Flushing Town Hall, the afternoon will feature dance, music, and food.

The program will begin with a card making workshop at 12:30 p.m. where participants will create a mixed media Holi card by printing with carved wood block designs from India on colorful cardstock. Traditionally, people "paint" each other with powdered pigment. In that spirit, participants will create vibrant cards with pop-up Holi messages.

At 2:00 p.m., with lively colors and movements, the Srijan Dance Company and Anup Das Dance Academy (ADDA) will introduce audiences to folk and classical dances from India's diverse states. They will be accompanied by Naren Budhakar, master of the Indian tabla drums and a vocal artist, and by Abhik Mukherjee, Indian classical sitar player. Queens Curry Kitchen, founded by Nupur Arora, will be selling their delicious Indian food and snacks. This program is generously supported in part by a grant from the Guru Krupa Foundation.

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is a popular Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of Spring, as well as the concepts of love, new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, and the end of conflict. The festival is predominantly celebrated in India, but is also widely celebrated in other South Asian, Caribbean and North American countries. Traditions vary from country to country, but popular festivities often include bonfires and the throwing of colorful powders. In 2024, Holi will be celebrated on March 25, but the date changes each year as the festival always falls on Purnima, or the day of the full moon during the lunar month of Phalguna.

"Holi has been celebrated in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, marking the beginning of a colorful spring after a long, dark winter, symbolic of the triumph of good over evil. We are delighted to again bring together incredible artists and delicious food to offer an authentic, colorful and lively Holi celebration for all to experience," said Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. "We encourage audiences of all ages to come welcome spring at our Holi celebration this April."

"Our full focus for this year's Holi celebration at Flushing Town Hall is on peace, harmony and love. Holi is a time where friends, families, and villages come together to share their happiness with each other," said Abha Roy, teaching artist and curator of the Holi Dance Concert at Flushing Town Hall. "I am delighted that my dancers and I will share the space with skillful musicians Naren Budhakar and Abhik Mukherjee, and talented chef Nupur Arora"