In Pictures: Shiamak Winter Funk 2018
It was another spectacular night at the Shiamak Winter Funk 2018 – The Awards Show.
It was showtime, and as their feet beat the floor to ascertain their place on stage, in London, as British Indians, and as dancers, the audience confirmed it right back with woots and cheers of approval. Things evolve in an organic bottom up way. The dances were no different, as the dancers had practiced endless hours to synchronize the step-drum-step-beat of the narrative. Neither is the evolution of Shiamak London, now in its 16th Funk in a row starting from 2011 with sold out audiences of over 1100 people witnessing the show at Watford Colosseum on 1st December 2018; over 400 students from Harrow, Wembley, Southall, Ilford, Croydon, Dartford & Central London performed at this year’s Winter Funk.
With the theme being ‘Awards Night,’ the show opened with the dance team paying homage to the biggest Bollywood stars. Results of a poll conducted by Shiamak London with 400 participants also led to awards for the Best Dancer Male, Best Dancer Female, Best Debut Male, Best Debut Female and the Spirit of Dance during the show.*
With each Bollywood performance the show transported the audience to whimsical reels lush with imagery – from mustard fields to a rainbow colored university campus to mehndi nights in a grand haveli, slingshot in hand, to rain-drenched platforms at the train station to a morning in IIT exploring the metaphysical by solving the question of the chicken vs the egg, where either way at the end “All izz well.” In this celebratory way, Shiamak London Instructors, led by Shruti Shah and Rohan Shah who have travelled all the way from India, along with Devashree Pande, Diya Lakhani, Manka Rangar, Yashni Shah and Natasha Patel who continue to inspire the Indian community by teaching kids how to dream big – in Technicolor, and reminding adults how to never stop dreaming.
In addition to local community performances and awards, dignitaries were also recognized. Brent Leader Muhammmed Butt was given an appreciation award for his outstanding contribution towards encouraging young talent within the Brent Community as the organisation heads towards the celebration of Brent2020 – a cultural milestone of Brent borough. Over £1m of funding has been awarded to Brent borough to curate a program of cultural events.
The show will be telecast on Sony TV this month. The show was also telecast live on Shiamak London YouTube channel for friends and family of all the performers across the globe.
