`Incredible Bollywood' show to dazzle audiences next week

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The “Incredible Bollywood” dance show that is taking place in West Warwick next weekend was spearheaded by two Rhode Island women who have been passionate about the dance form for some time.

Rupa Datta of West Warwick and Rutuja Patil of Providence shared a common dream of exposing Rhode Islanders to Indian dances and fall in love with Bollywood, the dance form used in Indian movies is a harmonious mixture of Indian folk, classical and world dance styles.

With this common dream, the two started a small dance business in June 2016 and called it Dance BFF (Dance Bollywood Fusion and Fitness). They teach bollywood dances in both Providence and West Warwick. They also started performing with a handful of dancers, aged 8 to 45 years, at different community shows like PVDFest, World Heritage Day, World Refugee Day, New England Family Fun Festival and in several colleges at their diversity weeks.

With the exposure, requests started pouring in for more classes as well as for conducting their own show. The two took a leap of faith and decided to celebrate their business' first anniversary with a “mega show.”

Rupa and Rutuja needed a large group of dancers due to qualities associated with Bollywood shows. The dances and shows are famous for being colorful, vibrant, and for featuring elements like frequent costume and location changes during dances as well as the use of larger dance troupes and their synchronization. Bollywood dance movements vary from slow and spiritual to bold and high energy, promising to capture an audience's attention at all times.

Rupa and Rutuja called for auditions, hoping they would get some more dancers who are also interested in Bollywood dances. They ended up recruiting a large number of dancers, all Rhode Island residents, that were passionate about dancing and who had been waiting for an opportunity to be a part of a Bollywood dance. While paying tribute to all the incredibly creative choreographers, dancers and artists in the Bollywood film industry, Dance BFF also wanted to provide a platform to the dancers in the state who are passionate about Bollywood and Indian dances.

The large-scale show, Incredible Bollywood, will be held Saturday, June 10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the West Warwick High School Auditorium. The show is dedicated fully to Bollywood dances and is the first of its kind in Rhode Island. The show will feature 75 dancers and students showcasing dance styles from the black and white to current eras of Bollywood films.

Ticket price is kept low to accommodate as many enthusiast audiences from all walks of life. Original ticket prices are $25, but early bird ticket prices of $15 each will be in effect until June 4. Children under 5 are free and a group of 10 tickets can be purchased for $135. Part of the proceeds will be donated to Sojourner House, an organization committed to ending domestic and sexual violence.

Visit dancebff.com to purchase tickets and find out more about Dance BFF.

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