Thompson Brook Sixth Grade Students Celebrate "Holi" and Learn about Indian Dances

Thompson Brook School continued linking curriculum with culture Friday, inviting Avon parent Suguna Chunduri, and some of her Nritya Nvali Dance Academy students to educate sixth-grade students about Kuchipudi, and other forms of Indian dance.

Her daughter, Ramya Chunduri, and Yashee Munshi, both high school students, performed Jathishwaram, which Dr. Vempati Chinnasatyam composed and Suguna Chunduri, art director at the dance academy, choreographed. The dance, a form of Nritta, is fast-paced and requires stamina, Chunduri said, proving "the abilities and [agility] of the dancers' feet, as they have to move fast."

Two of Chunduri's younger students, Imandi Herath and Anisa Patel, elementary school students, performed Ganesha Vandanam, which Swapna Sundari composed and Chunuri choreographed. Ganesha Vandanam means "salutations to the elephant-faced Lord Ganesha," and is the "one of the first items" that students learn.

Sixth-graders at Thompson Brook have been learning about Asia, and teacher Mike DeRitas' class celebrated the Hindu holiday, Holi in school Friday. The holiday, known mostly for its colors, is celebrated after winter is over, usually in late February or March, honoring the triumph of good over bad. On that day, people rub colored gulal and abeer on each others' faces. The students' clothes, hair and faces were filled with color from their Holi celebration.