A.R.REHMAN to perform in the Hollywood Bo - Page 2

Founded in 2002, RAAGAPELLA is Stanford University's all-male South Asian focus a cappella group, specializing in the fusion of South Asian and Western music. A cappella, literally translated as "without instruments," is a style of music in which all sound is created using only the human voice. The group aims to blend Western singing forms with a multitude of musical traditions styled in the subcontinent, bringing a unique flair to the genre. With performances throughout the greater Bay Area and across the West Coast, Raagapella has sung in venues ranging from campus dormitories to packed auditoriums. In 2005, Raagapella won the National South Asian A Cappella Championship at UC Berkeley and released its debut album Raags to Riches to much critical acclaim, including two perfect scores from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board, the only album of its genre to ever do so. The group is excited and deeply honored to perform for you at the Hollywood Bowl tonight alongside Mr. Rahman and all the incredibly talented musicians.

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For the first time, the true essence of Bollywood dancing is brought to the U.S. BOLLYWOOD STEP DANCE was launched in 2005, and in a short period of time has generated a reputable image, creating a vibe for the Bollywood style of dancing. Catering to all ethnic backgrounds and variety of age groups, Bollywood Step Dance provides professional dance training and troupe performances for stage shows, music videos, film premieres, television/movies, media and corporate events, concerts, wedding receptions, private parties, workshops, classes, and social/public events at a national and international level. Most recently, the Bollywood Step Dance troupe was featured in a Bollywood film and a sitcom for CBS. Tonight's performances have been choreographed by Bollywood Step Dance. A special thank you to Shirish Dayal for his help and support.

Yogi, Artistic Director/Choreographer of Bollywood Step Dance, started dancing at the age of three. Though an engineer by profession, his talent and passion for dance led him to work in the world's largest film industry - Bollywood. He has performed in over 150 live stage shows across the world. His work has also been showcased in many Indian music videos and Bollywood movies. His style includes developing new and innovative routines through dance styles like jazz, hip-hop, Bollywood freestyle, Bhangra, and other Indian folk dances.

Rashmi Goel, co-founder/dancer of Bollywood Step Dance, has been dancing for 15 years and performed in numerous stage shows and made television appearances. Currently, she manages clientele and the dance troupe. Her work experience also entails being a live stage emcee and a television host/producer for both the American and South Asian markets.

Saloni Ashok Swarup, an accomplished choreographer/dancer, has spent five years working in Bollywood under prestigious choreographers and has performed in numerous stage shows. She is currently pursuing her passion for dance by attempting to bring the Bollywood style of dance to the U.S. and international markets.

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Conceived in France 1995 by Hameed Khan, a tabla player, MUSAFIR is composed of groups of musicians who in Rajasthan would not play together, but here they create an exciting fusion. Hameed Khan's background in jazz, Arabic music, North Indian classical music, Breton music, and various crossover styles has produced an eclectic aesthetic. Hameed's inspiration was to showcase Rajasthan in a "folkloric cabaret." Musafir's original compositions combine Rajasthani rural folk music with influences from Qawwali (Muslim devotional music), Indian film music, Arab popular music, and Hindustani (North Indian classical) music.

Musafir ("Traveler" in Farsi), from Rajasthan in northwest India, has dazzled European audiences in recent years with its energetic hybrid versions of Indian folk and popular music, acrobatics, and feats of physical endurance. Musafir has performed to enthusiastic crowds at hundreds of concerts and festivals all over Europe, such as WOMAD, Roskilde, Paleo, Sfinks, and Ritmos.

Musafir is featured on the CD Gypsies of Rajasthan (Blue Flame) and some members appeared in the film Latcho Drom, a staged documentary of gypsy music. In The Gypsy Caravan, a musical component of Musafir portrays the symbolic and historical connection of Roma to northwest India. The term "Gypsy" was applied by the British to numerous nomadic groups in India who have no proven relationship to European Roma.

The band is composed of professional musicians who inhabit the Thar desert in northwest Rajasthan. They are members of the Langa, Manghaniyar, and Sapera groups. Langas are Muslim and are able to lead a sedentary life because they have a stable patron-client relationship, unlike the Sapera who migrate in search of work.

Langa music is learned orally in a master/apprentice relationship. Themes such as love and heroism predominate, and water and cattle, the source of life in the desert, appear frequently in the lyrics. Langas are known for their improvisations and their instrumental and vocal ornamentation. Men and women often perform together.

Manghaniyars, like Langas, are sedentary Muslims whose home extends over the border into Pakistan, but their patrons are mostly Hindu Rajputs (a high caste) and Hindu Charans (a caste of poets, bards, and historians). The Saperas (from the word Sap, snake) are a sub-group of the migrant community of Kalbeliyas, who travel with mules and dogs. Their dances, often performed by women, are featured in Musafir. They specialize in curing snakebites and in snake charming.

Langas play the sarangi, a vertically held bowed stringed instrument. The kamaycha (vertically held string instrument) is the trademark instrument of the Manghaniyars but is now being replaced by harmonium (small keyboard introduced into India by the British). The performers of Musafir play multiple instruments and sing.

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