The Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group finding new ways to perform during pandemic

THE youths of the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Organisation have developed a passion for the art of dancing which led to the creation of the Golden Om Dharmic Dance Group in 2014. They first competed in Kala Utsav, a competition hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. The dancers participated in both the folk and classical categories and emerged first place in classical; Bharatanatyam and third place in the folk category. This competition served as a motivator for the dance group and this is reflected in their performances to this day.

Over the past years, being a dynamic Indian dance group, there are several styles of Indian dancing the group has performed. These include Rajhastani, Bangra, Bharatanatyam, Khathak, Kuchipudi, just to name a few.

Nindrani Ramlochan, Savitri Ramlochan and Priya Ramlochan are three of the main dancers from the group; they’re the team leaders who hold down the mantle to ensure the continuity of the dance group along with the dance coordinator; Dhanwantri Persaud. “We continue to explore other forms of Indian dancing to expand our knowledge in the field, while receiving immense benefits as it helps us to simultaneously focus and build time-management skills. We take great pride in ensuring our performances are executed with beautifully worn costumes and makeups that are often in sync with the various kinds of dance,” explained Deodat Persaud, a prominent and well-respected religious leader who is affiliated with the group.

In the year 2020, just as everyone else the dance group faced many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All dance classes had to be cancelled as quarantine began and it was also around the preparation for their annual Phagwah Mela and Bazaar. The group was very disappointed given the hours of practice and effort each dancer had dedicated. Adjusting to social distancing and other adherences of COVID-19 was not easy for the group. Nonetheless, there was always hope. Currently, due to the increased rates of covid-19 cases in the country, it is physically impossible for the group to host their annual Phagwah Mela and Bazaar for the year 2021 as well.

The group explained that being dancers and having to entertain a crowd is one of the greatest feelings. However, things are being done a lot differently ever since the pandemic started. There are more and more virtual concerts being held now. This can be a good thing as it helps to keep the culture alive. However, it does not have the same feeling as performing in front of a physical audience. The group explained to the Pepporpot Magazine that some of their goals include striving for greatness. By raising awareness about this form of the Indian culture, it allows Guyanese to hold dancing to a higher standard

When asked what their plans for the future were, the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Group expressed that: “Moving forward, taking everything that is currently happening with great caution, we have re-commenced our dance classes with all COVID-19 protocols in place. However, classes are not held as often, only once a week, on Sundays at 15:00hrs, at the Reliance Veda Centre. We hope to share more of our art forms with more persons interested in dancing and having them a part of our dance group,” one group member said. “In the near future we plan to have more video productions on our social media platforms since physical shows are not possible at the moment. Additionally, we plan to construct wardrobes to store our dance costumes very neatly.

Some other plans we hope to achieve include, to do some workshops on dancing at different locations or online; collaborating with other dance groups and also raising awareness on mental health through our language of dancing.”