FOGANA treats Columbus to a taste of Indian culture
Having a sense of one's culture is important to self-being. On July 25, the MidWest region of The Federation of Gujarati Associations of North America will hold its annual dance competition to celebrate the Gujarati heritage.
Starting at noon at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial, dance groups will compete for a spot in the nationals, held in Tampa this year. Colorful costumes and electrifying acrobatics, along with extraordinary dance routines, are what make the competition enjoyable.
The dance groups are split into four age divisions: Minor, Junior, Senior and Adult. People as old as 70 and as young as five have participated. Groups have the choice of three categories: Garba, Raas and Folk dance. The Garba category is a women-only performance, where they use their hands and feet. Folk Dance includes props and the groups do the traditional dances. Raas is the grand finale of the event. Both boys and girls dance together and it is at a faster pace. The more powerful and exciting performances tend to come from the older dance groups.
The competition began in 1980. Each year, it is held in different cities across the nation. Under FOGANA, it was created to "promote a common platform to sustain and perpetuate the cultural heritage of Gujarat, India," according to the website. In addition, it was meant to bring the Gujarati people living in North America together to share in this tradition.
Parashar Joshi, the program director for this year's event, has participated in past FOGANA programs.
"This event is for everyone, but [particularly] more for the kids," Joshi said. "It gives them a chance to understand where they come from and hold on to traditions and customs."
He has two young daughters that participate [in the competition] and he says they enjoy every minute of being in that atmosphere.
The event is set to last about six and a half hours. At the end, there is a trophy presentation, [including] "Best Costume" and "Best Performance.".
"Even though it is a competition, it is a celebration of the South Asia culture," Joshi said.
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