VERVE 2019 – Festival of Performing Arts: A Treat for the Senses!

Exhilarating, Immersive, Captivating, Creative, Stimulating and Sensational! One can go on and on in describing VERVE 2019 – Festival of Performing Arts organized by the Center for Arts and Wellness. This first of its kind festival, VERVE 2019 came true on its promise of providing audiences with a sensory delight in Indian Dance and Indian and Western Music. Hosting such talent is an inspiration and expression of the wealth of creativity that forms the roots of the South Asian Community.

VERVE 2019 hosted on June 8^th attracted over 500 attendees throughout the day. The venue came alive and was buzzing with activity and talent from across Massachusetts. The enthusiasm and energy of the students and teachers alike was evident in the different music and dance performances! The Festival featured an extravaganza of artistically choreographed dances and creatively composed songs and renditions of music by young and adult students from the New England area – by students of the Center as well as of other New England teachers. The Music section began right on time at 10:00 am and the Dance section at 4:00 pm. During the day audiences heard classical music performances in Hindustani vocal, tabla, sitar, harmonium, mandolin, guitar, veena and mridangam; and in the evening they were treated to lively performances in bharatanatyam, kathak, kuchipudi, folk and bollywood dance.

The classical music section included Hindustani vocal performances by students of Swathi Panda, Pradeep Shukla and Vandana Rao in a cross section of Ragas such as Desh, Bhairav, Malkauns, Kafi, Khamaj, Durga, Kamod, and Yaman; and instrumental performances with solos in tabla by students of Ajit Acharya and Nishikant Sonwalkar, in mridangam by students of Gaurish Chandrashekhar, and in sitar by students of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan. The event also featured group performances like a guitar ensemble performing rock and roll hits by students of Phil Kaplan; an instrumental jugalbandi between Carnatic and Hindustani Classical instruments electric mandolin-harmonium-tabla performing pure classical raags Bhimpalasi and Aberi followed by a blend of Spanish folk music, Flamenco, with Indian semi-classical style. The festival also included a veena-mridangam duo by students of Durga Krishnan and Gaurish Chandrashekhar; and classical and light music on the bansuri (flute) performed by students of Sujeet Phanse. Audiences were treated to such variety in a span of a few hours!

After classical music immersion during the day, the event shifted gears to a session dedicated to varied dances of India. The evening began with a bharatanatyam dance drama on the life of Lord Krishna by students of Hema Iyengar, and continued to feature other performances in bharatanatyam by students of Pallavi Nagesha and Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy. The festival also included performances in other classical dance forms such as kathak by students of Moumita Banerjee, and kuchipudi by students of Sailaja Edupuganti. Peppered between these items were various styles of popular ‘Bollywood’ dances by students young and advanced of teachers including Nikita Rao, Nivetha Ravichandran, Priya Asthana, Ekta Jain, Sunita Ramnani, Juee Ramekar, and also dances choreographed by several teen participants.

The Festival was open to all who were interested in music and dance. Along with performances, VERVE 2019  also hosted a Vendor Bazaar â€“ a fun shopping opportunity providing local businesses and artists a platform to reach a broader community base and increase their own business prospects; a way for the Center to give back to the community and support fellow-local businesses, many who are small businesses and budding artists.  

The Festival has received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from participants, parents, and audience members. Comments such as “It was a superb experience!”, “I absolutely liked the punctuality”, “Performances were memorable”, “Event was excellent and very well organized!”, “An awesome show!”, “Energetic and fabulous performance by the kids!”, “Very well organized, indeed” were shared by many.  When attendees leave with a sense of satisfaction, enjoyment, and a day well spent we know the event was a resounding success!

Center for Arts and Wellness is committed to creating an amalgamation of disparate art forms under a single roof, making it easier for communities to subscribe to their interest and fuel their passion for those art forms. VERVE embodied that commitment by showcasing the talent and creativity of students and teachers including those at the Center. It was also an opportunity for art aficionados in the area to attend and appreciate this unique event. The Center is excited to host their 2^nd Festival of Performing Arts – VERVE 2020 in June of next year! Stay tuned for more information in the coming months!

For photos from the event Visit their Facebook page, and for videos of the performances visit and subscribe to their Youtube channel.

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