Marafiki Watu held at Watermans theatre in Rickmansworth on 31 May, was a show not to be missed- an experience where Gujarati and East African stories and their cultures came together to create an eclectic amalgamation of music, dance, colour and energy.
A fusion show, born from the love and appreciation of two very strong and robust folk styles, was created by Mira Salat and Pritee Varsani- for themselves and for all those with Indian and East African roots and heritage. The audience truly witnessed a performance blended culture, music and creative dance as art.
Stars of the show included Uche Micheal of Afrikentertainment and his team, as the leader and choreographer of five African dancers and chorus, together they brought onto the stage a night of traditional music that unlocked ancestral vibrations that have been covered for centuries with their powerful indigenous rhythms, songs and dance on the beats of African drums, nagada tabla, dhol and even a clay pot.
The artists performing with both Pritee and Mira were:
- Mitel Purohit - Music direction – dhol tabla
- Ghanshyam Makhwana – Magical percussion
- Kiran Thakrar – Keys
- Arpan Fatania – Folk trained vocalist
- Pritee varsani – Folk Vocalist
- Tete and Romanas on Djembe african drums
- Parle Patel, Pooja Rajguru and Nishil Khaderia- dancers of the Raas Rebellion.
Pritee is a British born, internationally recognised, Gujarati folk singer, who has released her own albums and music videos. Her debut album was bhajans Ohm Shiv Ohm Kara and released by T-series, India’s number 1 music label. She has collaborated and performed across various continents with other acclaimed artists from Lalita Ghodadra and Hemant Chauhan to Imran Khan and Navin Kundra.
Mira is an accredited dancer, specialising in the classical art form of Kathak. Mira has established Mira Performing Arts and its fundamental purpose is to preserve the unsurpassed and indisputable beauty of Indian Cultural Dance, arts and its heritage.
Educating individuals in Kathak is one of the prime activities at Mira Performing Arts, Mira ensures the students are disciplined yet enjoy every class. With the student ages ranging from four to adult there is a class to fit every need. Pushing the students to reach goals they never even imagined and allowing them to achieve new levels of successes.
