Scores of participants of different ages showcased talent at BSNY’s Talent Show 

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More than 200 people watched 85 participants between the ages of 2 and 70 perform on stage and display their unique talent at the Talent Show organized by Brahmin Society of New York on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Louis Pasteur Middle School in Little Neck, NY.

Ruta Dave, trustee, BSNY, told Desi Talk there were four types of talent performances at the show: Playing musical instruments, vocal singing, dancing, and a fashion show. True to its motto, BSNY’s talent show presented upcoming young, adult and senior talents while celebrating Indian heritage.

Dave said it took almost 2 months to plan the Talent Show, which she said BSNY has been organizing since its inception in 1987. The Talent Show Committee works hard for 2 months on booking an auditorium, inviting choreographers, selecting and training Master of Ceremony (MC), engaging a Disc Jockey (DJ) and organizing entries.

This year, the talent show committee comprising of present President Bharti Joshi, Vice President Kalpita Parikh, Trustee Ruta Dave, Secretary Poonam Shah, Dharini Trivedi, Shreya Mehta and Tejal Raval worked continuously to coordinate the entire event seamlessly.

The talent show was hosted by members of BSNY’s Youth Committee under the guidance of Dave and Dharini Trivedi. “We are training and preparing our young members to be MCs, to come on stage and announce,” Dave said. There were 8 MCs presenting items on stage, and 6 of them were from BSNY Youth Committee, Dave said.

“Our aim is to prepare our younger generation to become important members of future society, Dave added. The Youth Committee of BSNY is headed by President Manav Trivedi, with Vice President Shiv Purohit, and in other administrative positions Kamya Parikh, Angel Shah, Devika Patel, Darshil Jahveri, Aanya Trivedi and Saanvi Mehta.

The afternoon’s performances began with Kamya Parikh’s Saraswati Vandana and Ganesh Stuti, followed by a Bharatnatyam fusion dance.

Dance performances by students of Shilpa Mithaiwala’s ‘Rhythm Dance’, and music performances by students of Manik Malhotra’s ‘Saregama Desi Beats’ kept the audiences engaged.

The highlight of the event was a fusion dance by older committee members. Choreographed by Ruta Dave, and dancing on the fused tunes of ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Ghar More Pardesia’ were 12 ladies including Dave, Hema Choksey, and Shilpa Mithaiwala. Dave said the group practiced every week. “We all love to dance and perform whenever we can. Dance is like oxygen to me,” Dave said. Every year, BSNY has a group dance of ladies above the age of 75, which did not perform this year due to other conflicting events, she informed.

The fashion show attracted a lot of attention this year, with 27 children between the ages of 2 years and 15 years walking the stage in a variety of clothes including traditional Indian outfits, Western outfits and Indo-Western outfits. Coordinated by BSNY secretary Poonam Shah and member Shreya Mehta, the annual fashion show is managed by a working committee made of 6 members, including Dave.

BSNY started the fashion show in 2023 to encourage young children and adolescents to come on the stage and face the audience. “Some of them are shy or frightened of being on the stage. But when they walk in the fashion show with others, they gain confidence, are able to face the audience, and even enjoy it,” Dave said.

At the end of the show, each child participant was presented with a trophy, and the adults received gifts. An early dinner of Pizza was enjoyed by all at the end of the event.

BSNY organizes many such events throughout the year, with a focus on the younger generation, to encourage them and to prepare them for a successful future life in the United States, while maintaining their loyalty to their own cultural heritage.