Kenya: Classical Indian Dance

The Asian African community in Kenya is a minority group of people with a population of about 100,000. The community has in the past and present been dynamic, politically, socially and has consistently flourished economically (Salvadori: 1989). To many they have been labelled as 'the backbone of Kenya'. 

Day to day activities are still steeped in deeplyrooted cultural south Asian traditions. Classical Indian Dance with it's various styles and forms dates back to 400 BC. In Kenya Bharatanatyam-Tamil Classical Dance is taught to teenage girls at the Kamini School of Dancing. Once a year the girls will perform to parents and guests at the Oshwal High School in Nairobi.