Kathmandu, 28 September 2080
It is a great opportunity for the Nepal Performance Team in Washington DC Metro area to be a part of the WCF 2023 and represent Nepal’s diversity and celebrate the traditional heritage of Nepal with other one hundred and eighty countries participating on this global platform. This vision of bringing all countries and cultures together to manifest a harmonious blend of cultures is an unparalleled initiative by a humanitarian, and philanthropist, a spiritual Guru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living Foundation.
With global participation and now with over five hundred thousand registered for the WCF, this event is of a colossal nature and the magnanimity of the event speaks of inclusivity, diversity, celebrations of cultural values, differences and coming together as a global family. This will manifest as an extravaganza in the cultural attire, dance, music, food and the variety of performances in the three days of celebrations. There will be world leaders, delegates from every corner of the globe representing their countries and cultures speaking on the importance of unity and harmony in diversity. One of the key highlights will be a meditation session for peace for all the delegates and participants led by Sri Sri at the National Mall in front of the Capital Hill and the Washington Monument, in the heart of the city of Washington DC.
Nepal is a country of diversity since its inception with over one hundred and thirty ethnic groups and many dialects. Known mainly for its tallest mountains, Mt Everest, Nepal is also known to hold the concept of peace as its key feature not only as a theory but also in daily life practice. Many cultural celebrations throughout the year, manifests the recognition and upholding of varied traditions in dance, song, art, literature and the many varieties of ethnic authentic cuisines. This vision of WCF in this large scale resonates with the cultural diversity and peace in the history of Nepal
The diaspora community in Washington DC has come together to perform seven traditional dances with 150 performers. The dancers ranging from age thirteen to sixty plus are from varied backgrounds, senior scientists from National Institute of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), IT professionals, Teachers, Entrepreneurs and students. It is admirable how they have all managed to juggle their personal schedules to devote time and effort for a regular twice a week dance practice for the past five months. The main choreographer Mr. Yagyaman Shakya, a well-known dance instructor has provided the training and motivation to the team.
Community members Mr. Rajesh Pradhan and Ms Neeva M. Pradhan, also volunteers with the Art of Living US and Nepal, are the key sponsors of the program. With the help of organizations such as NECC, they were able to share Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision since last year and are the main supporters of the Nepal performance. Their wish was to have Nepal participate in this global arena along with the other hundred and eighty countries. It started last year when they were required to present a proposal and a concept note stating why Nepal performance should be selected. As founding members of Daya Foundation in Nepal, which also focuses on cultural preservations and promotion, they are happy to support this cause as the Art of Living practitioners.
Mr. Rajesh Pradhan contacted and connected with the Nepal Education and Cultural Center (NECC) and few other organizations to gather the community to come together as a team to perform. NECC headed by Ms Saroj Prajapati, President NECC has helped to bring the team together to help make this a success. True to their name, NECC has held to their commitment to preserve and share Nepal’s cultural heritage.
The main theme and concept of the performance is to highlight the traditional dances, including various deity and ethnic backgrounds of Nepal in the spirit of WCF. The performance will showcase the unique traditional art of honoring spirituality, unity in diversity, co- existing in harmony and the storehouse of talent in Nepal. The story telling through the live dances with special costumes we hope will be in keeping with the theme of WCF.
Performance variety to showcase the diversity of Nepal
• Deity Dances: Astamatrika, Kumari, Lakhe,
• Ethnic Dances: Sherpa, Tamang, Gurung, Tharu, Newar
• Background dancers.
