Training sessions on Dollu Kunitha KJDA faculty-coordinators. An expert folk artist was hired to train the students in this form of purest folk dance. The strenuous training sessions helped the students to achieve the set goals. Their presentation of Karnataka Folk dances at college Ethnic day 2023 was well appreciated. The students participated in the BNU festival and won the first prize. The team will represent Bangalore North University in the South East Zone Youth Festival to be held in Feb 2024.

Silver Jubilee Celebrations The cultural program began right after the formal inauguration ceremony with the distinguished guests. The invocation dance by the faculties of KJDA was the first presentation. Ms. Ranjani, the faculty from Performing Arts, Ms. Sreedevi, Faculty from Media Studies Dept, Ms. Devi from the dept of Forensic Science and Dr Nishitha from the dept of English were part of this presentation. The dancers offered flowers on stage and welcomed the gathering. The second dance was a confluence of different Indian classical dances, presented by the students of Kristu Jayanti Dance Academy. The dancers brought on stage the authentic dance styles such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, kathak and Satthriya. Total 19 students were part of this presentation. The thematic Eastern Dance was presented immediately after the classical extravaganza and 16 students participated in this. The highlight of the program was the presentation of Bamboo Dance of Mizoram. Total 16 students from Mizoram presented their traditional dance form on stage. The final presentation was Kamsale, a folk dance form of Karnataka. The students were given the training for learning this folk dance form prior to the show. There were 18 participants in this presentation, out of which 4 artists were the accompanists and the remaining were dancers.

NRITYADARPAN-’24 Nrityadarpan-2024 organised by KJDA turned out to be a spectacular dance concert. The theme of Nrityadarpan-‘24 was “Around the world.” The variety of dance forms were included in the concert. The secretary of KJDA, Ms. Navya Warrier welcomed the gathering. Ajay Krishna C and Agha hosted the show. The opening dance was Sufi with the classic and mellifluous movements of dancers. The second dance was Faqiri, a dance form practiced in Pakistan. Here the dancers weave a story of people by using St Kabir’s song. The third dance form that stunned the audience was Flamenco. This was followed by Salsa and Afro. After these the folk dance form of Karnataka – Dollu Kunita was performed by the students who had represented our college and Bangalore North University in the South East Zonal youth festival held by AIU. The next piece, Hip-Hop dance form, represented the usual street dance culture. The last performance was mesmerizing as the dancers concluded with Tango dance. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Nathanael, the secretary of KJDA. The program winded up with the appreciative words of Rev. Fr. Dr Augustine George, Principal, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous.

Training sessions on Eastern Dance An expert choreographer has been invited to the campus with the approval of the management. The training sessions started on 9 Jan 2024. The students have been learning the choreography with enthusiasm. During the 45-hour Eastern dance training at Kristu Jayanti College, participants delved into the rich tapestry of Indian Dance. Seasoned instructor guided students through intricate hand gestures, footwork, and expressions, fostering an appreciation for the cultural heritage embedded in Eastern dance. The training not only honed technical skills but also instilled a deeper understanding of the historical and artistic dimensions of the dance form. The target of winning prizes and over all trophies at the intercollegiate fests has been met through their successful performances. The team has won prizes in fests conducted by Mount Carmel College and Jyoti Nivas College.

Christmas Celebrations Christmas celebration is one such event that cherishes the good memories, joy of giving, sharing and happiness. The cultural program for the Christmas celebration was named ‘Christmas Spectacular-2023.’ The students from School of Management MBA and Kristu Jayanti College of Law were trained by the KJDA faculties for the dance performance based on the theatrical presentation set for the choir team. The performance was appreciated by the audience, the management and the college fraternity.

Dance Auditions Kristu Jayanti Dance Academy conducted dance auditions from 21st of August to 25th of August to select talented students to be a part of the dance academy. The auditions were conducted for four days and students were selected. Teachers in charge were Prof. Ranjani S, Prof. Sreedevi V K, Dr. Nishitha. Prof. Devi and Prof. Himani and Dr. Reenu devoted their time and energy to help us in selecting the students. This was a fruitful session as students were chosen to be the dance academy.

Training in Western Dance The beneficiaries of this training session were the students chosen from the auditions conducted for the selection of Kristu Jayanti Dance Academy members during the month of August. The performance of students and level of training required was gauged during the auditions by the concerned KJDA faculties. To ensure the best of training sessions the external choreographers were invited to the campus. The choreographers – Sushan Kanchan and Pranesh Gokul – have been training the students to bring out the best in them. The two training sessions have been completed in November. Due to the commencement of end semester exams, the students were asked to take a gap to pursue their academic journey. The remaining sessions will be resumed from January.

Training Kristu Jayanti CMI Public School students The dancers from KJDA were assigned with the dance training sessions for CMI school students. The objective of training them up in different classical dance varieties was to help them in choreography and execution of steps for their school annual day performances. KJDA students taught eighteen varieties of dances to the school students.