Neat Way To Spend a Saturday

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Or a Sunday for that matter. This weekend the J.S. Dorton Arena at the NC State Fairgrounds is host to India Fest 2009, organized by Nuv Yug, one of the Triangle's Indian cultural organizations.

Full-resolution version of the slideshow avialable here

I was there this afternoon for a few hours (regrettably few actually, I missed the headliner, Prashant Tamang the winner of Indian Idol 3). But in the time I was there I did get some pretty cool photos of the local performers. Most of these were young people, and all of them quite good! If you're in the Raleigh area, or will be on Sunday 29 March, consider coming out for the second day. Details are on the Nuv Yug website, but the short version is that Sunday's party runs from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, admission is $3 (children under 3 free) for the day. and hand stamps allow for pass-outs if you want to take a break to tour the Flea Market just next door.

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Thematic Photographic 28: "Bright" v.2.0 Lords of the Dance

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"Fancy Dancer I"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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"Fancy Dancer II"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

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"Traditional Dancer I"
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

 Hosted by Written Inc.

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No trifecta today, but I would be remiss if I let this week's "Bright" prompt pass by without the display of bright colors from the 13th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration that took place just before Thanksgiving in Raleigh. The first two dancers were performing what was simply called "Fancy Dance", which the MC says is not actually a traditional dance. The purpose is simply to move with as much vigor as possible while maintaining the rhythm. The dress for these dances is somewhat more involved as well. Typically, traditional dancers wear only one or two bustles (again, according to the MC -- I'm not an expert on the subject at all!) while fancy dancers typically wear four (or more).

The third dancer in this set is actually performing a traditional dance, but I couldn't hear well enough to catch the name of it. I think at this point my ears were pretty well frozen, so maybe that's why. But if I was cold in my ski jacket and boots, I can only imagine what these guys felt like in what they were wearing. So I offer my props to these dancers and the others who performed that day, freezing their tail feathers off to give the rest of us a glimpse of their heritage. Thanks guys!

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