Medellin’s Oriental Dance Network presents “The Silk Road” (La Ruta de la Seda), an evening of Eastern dance performances, from belly dancing to Bollywood-style moves.
The Arabian and Hindu styles to be featured include Odissi, a popular Indian dance form; Bedouin tribal dance; Khaleeji dance, from the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia; and Nubian dance. The performances will be accompanied by candles, colorful costumes and percussion rhythms.
The event will take place in the city’s Adida Theater from 7PM on July 22, bringing together performers from 12 of Medellin’s dance schools in a production that serves as a “historic journey” and evocation of the ancient Silk Road through the medium of dance, according to the event website.
Event coordinators told Colombia Reports that the purpose of the evening is to bring together the various choreographic projects and dance styles of each of the schools in an event based on the concept of the Silk Road. This route stretched from China through to Europe, and served not only as a space for merchants to exchange goods, but as a point of encounter for various cultures, art and religion, they explained.
The Silk Road show aims to unite the talents of each school in a single event, to educate the public about the variety of Oriental dance styles that exist — including folkloric, traditional and fusion.
The network was formed with the assistance of the municipal government’s Culture Ministry. Originally, it was composed of dancers involved in a variety of “alternative” styles that did not adhere to traditional ballroom dance — including hip hop, flamenco and urban. The Arabian sector split from the rest in 2010, led by a woman named Monica Varela, and formed the Red de Danza Oriental, or Oriental Dance Network.
Entrance to the performance costs COP20,000 (approximately $11) for general admission, or COP30,000 (approximately $17) for special entry.