Report  

Shubanjali wins "2004 Outstanding Dance School Award"  
at the 5th Indian - American Festival in NJ 
Photos Courtesy: Shubanjali School of Performing Arts 

August 21, 2004   
 
Shubanjali School of Performing Arts, a non-profit organization based in Scotch Plains, NJ, won the 2004 Outstanding Dance School Award at this month’s Fifth Annual Indian-American Festival.  
  
On August 14 and 15, the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Bridgewater, NJ served as a backdrop for the two-day dance competition hosted by the Hindu Temple and Cultural Society.  Shubanjali students nabbed awards in four separate categories: senior group classical, senior group folk, junior group classical and outstanding dance school. 
  
Junior Thillana group
Outstanding Classical Award group
“As a teacher, it’s a very special moment for me,” said Director Suba Ramesh Parmar, just hours after the win. “I'm overwhelmed with joy and tears in my eyes to let you know that every child who participated in the competition walked home with a trophy. I am so happy for each one of them.”  
  
The festival was attended by more than 15,000 people, and more than 300 participants took part in the various categories. 
  
The following is a list of the participating students and their awards:  
Outstanding Dance School Award: Sharbari Bose, Karishma Dagar, Jasmine Gadhavi, Nikhita Gadi, Mythili Lahiri, Richa Pandey, Aswinee Ragam, Sumana Ramakrishnan  
  
1st Place, Junior Classical Group: Lakshmi Davey, Divya Krishnan, Ritu Pandey, Madhumita Parmar, Shivani Patel, Sadhana Subramanian, Sanjana Umarale  
  
2nd Place, Junior Classical Group: Arathi Elango, Bianca Karmaker, Madhur Manjunath, Khushbu Parekh, Anagha Prasanna, Rathi Ramaswamy, Kavya Udupa, Meghana Vijaysimha 
  
2nd Place, Senior Group Classical: Sharbari Bose, Jasmine Gadhavi, Mythili Lahiri, Sumana Ramakrishnan, Sumitra Ramaprasad  
  
2nd Place, Senior Group Folk: Dhanya Chandramohan, Jasmine Gadhavi, Nikhita Gadi, Karishma Dagar, Richa Pandey, Aswinee Ragam, Sumana Ramakrishnan  
  
Parmar, an accomplished classical dancer, founded Shubanjali in 1992 as an educational forum for Bharatanatyam students and as an open stage for enthused performers. Today, she continues to bring this ancient art form towards the forefront of America’s modern dance culture by encouraging her students to share their skills.  
  
Over the past decade, Parmar has taught in the guru-shishya parampara, India’s tradition of a mutually committed teacher-student relationship. Apart from molding individuals into able dancers, she also emphasizes cooperative learning skills through group choreography.  The school’s intensive curriculum develops both physical and mental poise. Shubanjali also embodies a well-conceived methodology, whereby its unique curriculum allows students to develop a thorough understanding of the arts through the systematic study of technique, culture and representation of Indian arts to a global audience. 
  
Last year, the school received first-place awards at the Federation of Indian Associations’ Cultural Competition in New York and at the Fourth Annual Indian-American Festival in Bridgewater. Shubanjali made ripples throughout the Indian dance community in September 2003 with its 10th anniversary celebrations chock-full of live performances and music.