Expatriate dancers from 12 different nationalities provided a thrilling performance at the Minara International Dance Festival 2017 held at the City Amphitheatre, Qurum recently. The two and half hour dance extravaganza, organized by Talent Hunters Oman, attracted a capacity audience comprising music enthusiasts from around Muscat.
A total of 148 amateur performers vied for accolades and prizes at the event. The evening’s show included performances by the all-Omani B-Boys Group SNK revo, the Rachna Rajesh & Nelvin duo, the Multinational Ballerinas from The Ballet and Folklore Centre, all-girls’ group X-trimist, a ballet-drama choreographed by Alena, also presented by the Ballet and Folklore Centre, a Bolly-Hop fusion event presented by King’s United Muscat, an Egyptian folklore Saidi Stick Dance by Tonia, a Kuth-Hip fusion dance by the Bouncers of Spell Bound Dance Crew, an Omani B-boyz group Legend Crew, the Dancing Sisters Vineetha & Aishwarya, a ballroom dance by Marion and Ananyo, a Western fusion dance by White Roses Institute, a salsa by Nuwan & Meena, a Marathi folk dance by the Angel Dance group, and a jazz performance by Marion.
The second half of the show began with a stunning performance by a visiting team from King’s United India, the bronze winner of the World Hip Hop Championship in 2015.
Adding to a delightful evening were great displays by the popular Zumba Marissa group La Bicicleta, a Bolly-Holly fusion show by the all-girls Famous Seven group, a cultural dance by The Philippine School, a Western fusion dance by DDA -Zero Degree, a Bollywood hip-hop dance by RDI, a Sri Lankan cultural dance led by Wajira, and a gig by D’Smarties.
The highlight was football freestyle juggling by talented Omani boys Mohammed al Naufli and Ameer al Balushi. Also enthralling were performance by Pritika Roy and Aswathy Vinodkumar of the Angels Dance Group, and Mohana Suresh and Gopika S Menon from the White Roses Dance Institute. The event was emceed by Dr Sunil Malani.
Indian Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey was the Guest of Honour on the occasion. He was joined by M K Pathmanaathan, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Oman, Tariq al Barwani, Founder of Knowledge Oman, Salem al Bortamani of Areej Veg. Oils & Derivatives, and Anvwar al Balushi, Omani businessman. The Special Guest was Suresh Mukund, founder of King’s United India.
Dr Sanjay Dalal, Director - Talent Hunters Oman, said: “The dance festival provided the biggest ever platform for our budding dancers to come together from across cultures and nationalities to show off their talent.”
Dr Sateja Dalal, Event Coordinator, added: “The show was a visual treat thanks to the efforts made by the various participants, the clubs, institutes, choreographers and individual performers who spared no effort in contributing to a scintillating evening.”
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