Our Crowdfunding Groups
This project has concluded. Thank you for supporting Nrityamala!
Who We Are
Founded in 2006, Nrityamala is the University of Pittsburgh’s premier Indian classical team. It was the first collegiate classical dance team in the Pittsburgh area and its dancers strive to preserve, practice, and spread awareness for the Indian classical arts. We promote the art by performing on campus and in and around the Pittsburgh area, at events such as Bhangra in the Burgh, UPMC Children’s Ball, Dhirana, and the SPIFPA Cultural Festival. Nrityamala also takes part in several national collegiate competitions every year, and is an award-winning, highly ranked team.
Our team consists of passionate dancers trained in various classical dance forms, including Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, and Mohiniyattam. Each year, we choreograph our own pieces to create a unique dance presentation on a specific idea or theme, which we then share with our community and take to competitive events.
Following our 1st place win at Laasya 2011, we hosted the Laasya national dance competition at Pitt in February 2012. The event had 1,000 attendees and raised nearly $10,000 for the charity Unite for Sight. From the success of Laasya 2012, we founded Dhirana, Pitt’s very own annual Indian classical dance competition, which raises money for the Birmingham Free Clinic. Over the past 8 years, we have raised and donated over $80,000 from ticket sales!
In addition to this contribution to our community, Nrityamala has played a significant role in inspiring young dancers to continue to learn and grow as dancers, and in promoting respect and appreciation for the Indian arts and culture in our community. We look forward to continuing our mission for generations to come!
Our Project
Nrityamala’s first virtual benefit showcase, Nrityapriya, is our latest collaboration with Dhirana. The event is in support of Pittsburgh’s very own Birmingham Free Clinic (BFC), just like Dhirana, and as you may have noticed, it is our goal to raise $1000! BFC is a community-partnered clinic that serves un- and underinsured and other medically vulnerable groups, at no cost to any patient, throughout Allegheny County, PA.
The showcase will feature several pieces by Nrityamala, as well as exhibition acts from other Pitt Indian dance and music teams. It will be live-streamed via YouTube on May 15th at 6PM EST. We hope you can tune in to the show and celebrate 15 years of Nrityamala with us!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of the event organizers. You can also contact us on Instagram (@pitt_nrityamala), Facebook (@Nrityamala), or email (nrityamala.upitt@gmail.com). Check out photos and videos of Nrityamala over the years on our website: https://nrityamalaupitt.wixsite.com/pitt-nrityamala!
How You Can Help
Since this showcase is free to all those who wish to “attend,” we need your help to support BFC via donations! We want to reiterate that any amount counts and to thank you profusely in advance for supporting this wonderful cause.
We also hope that you save the date (May 15th at 6PM) for the showcase and are able to support our year’s work as well as that of the other Pitt Indian dance and music teams that have put together exhibition acts for you.
Finally, please share the event with friends, family, and colleagues who have an appreciation for the arts via social media, word of mouth, or email. We need all of the help that we can get to make this event a success! Thank you again!
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Contributions received for this project shall be used in accordance with the purpose described herein, the terms in the FAQs and applicable law. For questions that cannot be answered in the FAQs, please call 412-383-5001 or email engage@pitt.edu.
Alarippu is the first dance piece a Bharatnatyam dancer learns and performs. It is a dance which offers respect to God and the audience. This donation will be used to cover a flu shot for a patient at BFC.
Pushpanjali is the opening dance in a performance. It is a salutation to the lord of dance Nataraja, the Guru (dance teacher), the musicians, and the audience. This donation will be used to pay for routine lab testing at BFC to treat and manage disease.
Jatiswaram is the next dance in a performance after Pushpanjali. It is a technical dance that showcases the form of Bharatnatyam, without any accompanying verses. This donation will be used to pay for smoking cessation medication for patients at BFC who need it.
Keerthanam is a piece that combines technique and expression in praise of a God. This donation will be used to pay for essential supplies like gloves, thermometer covers, tongue depressors, and exam table paper that are used in every patient visit to BFC.
Thillana is an intense, rhythmic piece which is usually performed at the end of a dance performance. It is one of the hardest dances to master technique wise. This donation will be used to pay for an HbA1c Test Kit, which monitors a diabetic patient's glucose levels.
Varnams are the centerpiece of an arangetram (Bharatnatyam debut recital). These dances are performed to the most complex pieces of Carnatic music. This donation will be used to pay any upgrades to the BFC facilities. Contribute $20 for every year Nrityamala has existed!
