Thillana South Asian Dance Troupe Dance for a Difference

by Maria Ng

On Tuesday, September 19, 2006, Thillana hosted their first event of the year in the Union Ballroom. It was the 2^nd Annual Dance for a Difference Charity Fundraiser. The donations Thillana received went to the Save The Children Fund.

Save The Children is an international organization dedicated to helping children around the world who suffer from disease, poverty, injustice and violence. This program reached the US in 1932. Since then, this organization has spread into twelve states around America including Louisiana and Mississippi. (http://www.savethechildren.org)

Thillana’s benefit had two purposes. The first was to raise money. The second was to provide students with a small taste of South Asian dancing. However, instead of putting on a show for the audience, Thillana members taught them how to dance. Two dances were taught. The first was O Sikhander and the second was Darshan.

By structuring the event in this way, the audience received a hands-on cultural experience. I was one of the participants in this learning experience. The dances Thillana taught were simple compared to other types. However, the rapid tempo of the music caused these simple moves to become a challenging task. Still, for me, it was a great way to exercise while learning a little more about an unfamiliar culture.

More photos are online at the Zine photo gallery:
http://aasquared.org/gallery/Thillana0906