Prema Shakti marks ten years

According to Neel, his sister’s death had a great impact on their 25 students. But they did not stop dancing; in fact he said they dance even harder in her memory. Today Neel and his family host Satsang (religious gathering) every Thursday from their home in Balmain Village, Couva in Kavita’s memory.

Prema Shakti uses the nearby mandir, Shakti Swaroopam, for all dance rehearsals and theatre productions.

This group with no official sponsor has managed to survive the strong competition among a continuous emergence of East Indian dance groups and continues to churn out some of the most memorable and breath-taking productions on many stages across the country.

Neel credits the success of the dance institution to his late sister for setting a solid foundation with the students and performers. He said, “As brother and sister, we have spent most of our lives together in music and dance, and today, with her gone, I find my strength in the legacy that she created.”

Neel started off dancing with the encouragement of his sister. He got most of his training from his collaborative efforts with Kavita and the performers themselves. He can be credited with choreographing the dance that won first prize in the Prime Ministers Best Village Competition for Best East Indian Influence/Gatka Dance in 2010.

Another accomplishment he can boast of is being one of the only performers to dance to local Indian classical music, when he opened the NCIC 50th Independence Classical Singing Competition in 2012. The Prema Shakti Dancers have been semi-finalists on the popular Mastana Bahar and hope to make it to the grand finals this year as they have entered the competition again. Two of their senior members have also been finalists at the La Riene Rive queen competition in past years.

Their lead dancer, Lisa Mohammed has performed on many stages across the country. She has been loyally attached to this group since its inception. She recalls starting with the group at age 11. “Prema Shakti is very dear to my heart and I have grown from a child to an adult in this group. Most of my memorable moments and even tears are on that dance floor.

We have come a long way and we continue to struggle on for better days of success at all levels”, said Lisa.

Neel salutes pioneers of Indian Culture such as, Jamal Mohammed and his family, Sharda Maharaj, Surujdeo Mangaroo and the late Pat Mathura for affording them the opportunities to showcase their abundance of talent. Prema Shakti does most of their work with the Youth Arm and the Divali Nagar of the National Council of Indian Culture and credit Mangaroo the NCIC PRO for giving them the encouragement and inspiration to keep dancing.

The institution reaches communities as far as Chatham performing for Divali. It is their belief that through dance, they can inspire others and keep their heritage alive. Grateful for past experiences and all the support from friends and family, the group aspires to reach greater heights in the future.

Neel also thanks his mother who he said has been his pillar of strength and source of inspiration throughout the years.

The manager of Prema Shakti, Asha Sookram has three daughters performing with the group. She extends warm congratulations to Prema Shakti saying that they have some big plans 2013-2014. “Prema Shakti is a unique and special dance group and ten years is a huge accomplishment in a country where there are so many dance groups in every corner of society,” she said.

Classes are held every Friday afternoon from 5pm to 8pm at Balmain where the group is based. And for further information you can inbox the group on Facebook or call 477-1087.