How to escape the winter chill: Bharata Natyam at the Children\’s Museum and Theatre of Maine

February 17th was a special India focus day at the Children\’s Museum in Portland.

The place was buzzing with eager explorers and their parents, for it was not only school holiday week but also a holiday for many parents(Presidents day). There were fun things to see and do, as usual, and among the festive events of the day was the presence of Sabina\’s family who had Indian spices and snacks for the children to sample. Sabina is part of the  popular Museum exhibition \”We are Maine\” representing India. It was very nice to meet her in person after having seen her presentation of life in Cape Elizabeth, which was recorded a few years earlier.

It is always nice to return to the Museum- in the past years we taught many classes on Meditation and Play with a focus on Indian Dance or Music. On this occasion, it was a great joy to present a  Bharata Natyam dance in the Dress up Theatre: the place was packed and there were many sparkling eyes experiencing the magic of Indian Classical dance for the very first time. After the dance, the daring ones tried a dance class.

It sure is harder than it looks, but they had lots of fun!

A special thanks to Jamie Andrew, the friendly Community Coordinator for putting together the whole day!
With so much attention on India, we almost forgot the freezing winds that were adding an unexpected chill factor to the otherwise sunny day.