Although their campaign has concluded, if you would still like to make a donation to Dhirana you may always do so here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is Dhirana?

Dhirana is the University of Pittsburgh's annual Indian classical dance competition. It is one of the University's largest charities and student-run events, and 100% of all proceeds from the competition go to the Birmingham Free Clinic of Pittsburgh, which provides free medical care for Pittsburgh's underserved population. Pitt began the tradition of hosting a national, intercollegiate competition when Pitt Nrityamala, the University's premier classical Indian dance team, placed first in Laasya 2011, a national traveling competition. As champions, the team won the honor of hosting Laasya 2012 on their campus. With strong support and attendance from the Pittsburgh community and enthusiastic involvement from Pitt students, Laasya 2012 was a resounding success. Unhappy to see the traveling competition leave its city, Pitt Nrityamala and University of Pittsburgh created Dhirana to foster Indian classical dance interest in their community. Each year, this competition provides 8 collegiate classical dance teams from around the nation with a platform to showcase their talents during an unforgettable weekend experience. Pitt welcomes you to its fourth annual Indian classical dance competition, Dhirana 2016!

How Dhirana Gives Back:

One of the most unique aspects of Dhirana is that we must raise funds every year to put on the show because we choose to donate 100% of the proceeds from our ticket sales to the Birmingham Free Clinic. The Birmingham Free Clinic Salvation Army Homeless Drop-In Center serves uninsured and indigent clients from the South Side Salvation Army programs and the general public. It is also the only free clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania to serve the growing numbers of uninsured Latino adults and children in our region. The Saturday clinic session is staffed with medical student interpreters who speak Spanish. The clinic exclusively utilizes a volunteer group of health care providers. Services include primary and acute care, chronic disease management, physical exams, medication access and management, tuberculosis testing, influenza vaccines, health education, and on-site specialty consult services for cardiology, dermatology, vision, endocrinology, and pulmonary problems. Dhirana is proud to be one of the largest donors for the Birmingham Free Clinic and has donated over $26,000 over the past three years since the inception of this event. 

How You Can Help:

As 100% of all proceeds from ticket sales from the event go directly to the Birmingham Free Clinic, we rely on generous sponsors like you to be able to host our competition. We aim to raise $4,000 over the next few weeks in order to pay for various costs of the competition, such as the venue, lighting, and audio for the event. We greatly appreciate each and every donation as we prepare to host Dhirana 2016! We thank you for your generosity and support and extend to you an invitation to attend Dhirana on February 20, 2016. For more information on Dhirana 2016, please visit our website www.dhirana.com. For our sponsors who would like to receive benefits for their donations, our tiers and benefits can be found in our Sponsorship Packet at http://www.dhirana.com/Dhirana2016_SponsorshipPacket.pdf. Please feel free to email us at dhirana.sponsorship@gmail.com with your choice of benefits or any questions you may have.