Two gifted young local artists, Bharat Verma and Kishan Lal Gameti  have just become the first Udaipur dancers to ever perform at New York’s renowned Lincoln Center as well as other major festivals in New York.

Dancer/choreographer Bharat and star protégé Kishan of the Heartbeators Dance Institute are in the US representing Udaipur in the Shakti Caravan exchange program between New York’s global dance ensemble Vanaver Caravan (VC) and Udaipur’s Big Medicine Charitable Trust (BMCT).

Previously the 2012 and 2014 Shakti Caravan programs brought western VC virtuosos to teach world dance in Udaipur schools and stage exciting joint recitals at St. Mary’s, the Udaipur Rotary Club and West Zone Cultural Centre’s Shilpgram. The VC artists discovered Bharat and Kishan during those visits; and recognizing their gifts invited them to the US this summer to teach, perform, study and inaugurate a true international artistic “exchange”.

Both youth are well-known to the Udaipur community from their popular “Dance Fever” Town Hall galas and inspiring Shakti Sunday performances.

On the US side, their VC hosts have put in incredible effort arranging performance venues ranging from the prestigious Lincoln Center stage to grassroots regional dance fests as well as citizen diplomacy sessions with distinguished groups like the UN-affiliated Friendship Ambassadors Foundation and local Rotary Clubs.

During their month-long Shakti Caravan fellowship, Bharat and Kishan are not only delighting US dance fan audiences, they are also introducing modern Bollywood and Rajasthani folk choreography to hundreds of talented young American artists.

In their messages home, Bharat and Kishan gratefully credit their dear families, BMCT, the 2013 Udaipur Rotary officers, the Shakti Sunday Steering Committee, Sweetie Chabra , Madhu Sareen, and the many other friends and supporters who helped make their dream come true.

They will be returning to Udaipur August 23rd to share the new dances they have learned and recruit new Udaipur schools for the next Shakti Caravan world dance ed program that starts this November.  Interested school principals can get more information by contacting BMCT at info@bigmed.org

News and pics are contributed by David Kubiak