Pittsburgh Patrika January 2022

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 2, January 2022
On Saturday February 19, 2022 — By the Students of Pitt
A Competitive Indian Classical Dance Program
Raising Funds for A Good Cause
By Stuthi Iyer and Roma Usgoankar, Dhirana, Pittsburgh
Dhirana is Pittsburgh’s premier competitive Indian classical dance
event, hosted annually by students from the University of Pittsburgh. It
is the only nationally recognized competitive program
featuring Indian classical dance styles such
as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, and Odissi.
Every year, eight collegiate Indian classical dance
teams from across the nation are invited to compete
in the Dhirana event. World-renowned judges,
who are dance teachers or practicing artistes (often both) and committed
to preserving the tradition of these ancient art forms, evaluate the teams
on nritta (intricate footwork), mudras (hand gestures), abhinaya (facial
expressions), and other aspects of the dance. Every year, hundreds of
people come and enjoy this spectacular program, immersing themselves
in the ancient Indian story-telling tradition.
After hosting Laasya 2012, Nrityamala, the host team, created Dhirana
with your support and the enthusiastic involvement of students to foster
interest in Indian classical dances and raise funds for a Pittsburgh charity.
All proceeds from ticket and food sales at Dhirana go to the Birmingham
Free Clinic located in the South Side in Pittsburgh.
The Birmingham Free Clinic provides for the uninsured communitybased
collaborative critical medical care with compassion and dignity.
The services offered at
the clinic include cardiology,
free eye care through
Guerrilla Eye Service,
ear nose and throat, dermatology,
pediatrics,
smoking cessation, diabetes,
and gynecology.
The clinic depends on
volunteer teams of physicians,
pharmacists, and
nurses. In a single year,
the clinic provides treatment
to more than 3,000
The winners of the 2020 Trophy — Penn State University. patients, and the number
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