Festival of Lights Dance Performance at Advocate Good Shepherd
Barrington, IL - The Festival of Lights, also known as Diwali or Deepavali, is the most popular and most celebrated festival of India. Though, the festival was originally a Hindu celebration, the Diwali is now considered more of a national festival, enjoyed by most Indians, regardless of faith.
In observance of the Festival of Lights celebration, The Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is proud to welcome classical Indian dancer, Shuchi Kumar, to perform on November 16 at 11:30 am in the Chapel. Anyone interested is invited to join us for this unique dance performance and enjoy traditional Indian sweets.
Shuchi Kumar recently graduated from the Mudra Dance Academy, where she studied for the past 10 years under Kshama Shah. Her study focused on the classical Indian dance form, bharatanatyam, known for its spiritual symbolism and graceful poses.
“This dance – bharatanatyam – takes over ten years to learn and perfect. Bharatanatyam was performed only in the temple for centuries, and only in recent years has it been admitted to public places,” describes Reverend Fred Rajan of the Office for Mission and Spiritual Care at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.
The Festival of Lights usually occurs in between October and November. The name, Deepavali, translates into “row of lamps”. Deepavali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (or candles today) to signify the triumph of good over evil. Celebrators clean their homes and display lights to welcome the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Families don extravagant clothing and share sweet treats in celebration.
About Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Advocate Good Shepherd in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is ranked highest in Illinois for quality and patient safety according to BlueCross BlueShield and exists to serve its communities. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital: www.advocatehealth.com/gshp Shield’s 2011 Blue Star Reportâ„¢. Advocate is a faith-based organization
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