Pooja Dimba

Senior Pooja Dimba was involved with contemporary Bollywood Dancing from eighth grade until her junior year. Bollywood is a unique and energetic style of dance that comes from the modern Indian film industry, Bollywood. It takes inspiration from Indian folk dances, classical dances, and disco from Hindi films.

“You have to get used to moving your hips a lot for this dancing,” said Dimba; she added that it included a lot of twirling and clapping.

Dimba became part of a group of six other girls that performed at cultural holidays and festivals. They would practice two times a week for two hours to prepare for their performances.

“I liked this dancing because it gave me something to relate back to my culture,” said Dimba.

To perform, Dimba and the rest of her group would wear Indian skirts and blouses with their hair put up with flowers.

Shalee Bagaporo

Senior Shalee Bagaporo did Filipino cultural dancing for ten years.

“This dancing is a filipino thing, so I felt connected to my culture,” said Bagaporo.

Even though Bagaporo enjoyed it, she ended the tradition when she was 14 years old because when she came to America, the dancing was not as popular.

The dances she specialized in were Carinosa, a Philippine dance of Hispanic origin from the Maria Clara suite of Philippine folk dances and Tinikling, a Philippine dance with bamboo sticks in which you tap your feet and continuously jump over the bamboo sticks. Both these dances are partner dances, which require a male and a female.

“I can do these dances, but I don’t have the grace,” said Bagaporo.

To be able to do these dances you need to be very graceful and feminine, she said.

Bagaporo was part of Makabayan, a group of ten couples. Her group would practice about five times a week for four to five hours performing for competitions, graduations, school and city festivals. Her group also performed at the “Philippine White House,” Malacanang Palace.

When they performed the girls would wear the Philippine national dress and be barefoot for Tinikling and wear slippers to dance Carinosa.