Auckland’s Queen Street and Aotea Square will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour when the Auckland Diwali Festival takes place on October 12 and 13, 2019.
Bright lights, energetic dance performances, incredible Indian delicacies and fireworks will excite and delight festival-goers of all ages.
One of the scores of performance groups entertaining the crowd of thousands at Auckland Diwali is Desibeat who promise to enthral its audience with their Bollywood dance moves and high-upbeat music.
In a conversation with Auckland Diwali team, dance group Desibeat tell more about their love for dance and Bollywood music.
Auckland Diwali: Tell us about the history of Desibeat?
Desibeat: Our dance group Desibeat was formed in 2009 after a conversation with a friend on a bus ride to University about the lack of Bollywood dancing opportunities for students after high school. We started as two people looking for a chance to dance and found other like-minded individuals over the next six months. In 2010 we entered and won our first major Bollywood dance competition. We quickly realised that we had more potential and decided to dedicate more time and effort to our passion for Bollywood dance. Fast forward to 2019; we are now a recognised Bollywood dance school in Auckland with over 80 students ranging from 4-65years.
AD: How would you describe your dance style?
DB: Our dance style as we would describe it is all things Bollywood. Indian cinema is made up of a range of dance forms and styles from all the various states of India. What we aim to do in our dance is to highlight the many styles of Bollywood dance while staying true to the art form. Our dances are energetic, vibrant and always have a story to tell.
AD: Why should people watch you at Diwali Festival?
DB: We believe it’s important to support local talent and local dance schools. Our point of difference is that we are all-inclusive and family centred, which means everyone is welcome to learn and perform with us. We have dance students who are as young as four years old who will be performing for the first time in their lives.
We also have junior and intermediate teams made up of young kids who have a few years of dancing experience. Our senior team is our most experienced team made up of skilled Bollywood dancers, who have been performing competitively since before the dance group was formed.
We also have for the first time in New Zealand an all ladies team made up of ladies, mothers and grandmothers who have taken on the challenge to learn Bollywood dance formally. We would love the chance to showcase our passion and hopefully inspire others.
AD: What do you love about Diwali Festival?
DB: We love that it’s a full family event with something awesome for everyone to enjoy. Be it the food, the cultural stalls, or the live performances it’s such a great weekend of vibrant culture and best of all its free entry.
AD: What food do you plan on trying at the festival?
DB: We love all things with a bit of spice and particularly enjoy Dosas and Chaats! The festival is the largest vegetarian festival in Australasia, so there are plenty of options for me and, some of our team members have a major sweet tooth, so as soon as our performance is over, you can find us enjoying some authentic Indian sweets, like Gulab Jamuns and Kulfis.
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