Diwali celebrations came early to London with the annual Diwali festival on Trafalgar Square. The event was hosted by the Mayor of London with DIL team on Sunday 16th October. The grey skies did nothing to dampen the attendance nor the spirit of the spectators who covered the square to celebrate the Festival of Light.
The celebrations started off with a bang with traditional folk dancing, Garba and Dandiya-Raas performances by Kalpesh Zalavadiya and his dancers from K’z Dance Entertainment Ltd.
Snazzy costumes, lightning moves and traditional Gujarati music ensured a dazzling and colourful performance. After the energetic routine, members of the audience were invited to take part in the open air Garba with Kalpesh and his dancers teaching the finer points of Garba and Raas.
Gujarati folk dance has been increasing in popularity recently with the boom of the Bollywood industry and globalisation. The dance included dancers from a variety of different nationalities and the diverse audience enjoyed learning about the rich cultural heritage of India.
Kalpesh Zalavadiya, director of K’z Dance, runs classes in the North London area including Northwood, Queensbury & surrounding areas. The dance enthusiast said: “We are delighted and proud to have been invited at one of the biggest asian event of the year. Everyone put in a lot of hard work and hours of dance rehearsals”.
Visit www.kzdance.co.uk for further details.
