Queen of Peace Sophomores Enjoy a Day of Bollywood

Burbank, IL –December 16, 2013 – Each year the sophomore class at Queen of Peace High School participates in an Arts Without Borders Program (AWB). The AWB Program is an enrichment program in which students participate in a variety of cultural and fine arts experiences offered throughout the greater Chicago-land area.

Over 4 years, each student will engage in 8 trips/experiences, 2 each year, which include plays, symphonies, operas, music and dance performances, museums, special exhibits and cultural programs. These experiences in total are designed to: engage students in diverse settings, widen their exposure to all forms of artistic and cultural expression, deepen their awareness of the wealth of arts resources available and promote creativity and diversity in its many and beautiful forms.

This Arts without Borders experience happens in conjunction with the sophomores’ study of India in World History. In World History, they study a bit about Hinduism and the caste system. They then move on to the impact of British imperialism in India and India’s nationalistic movement for independence. In particular, they study Gandhi’s nonviolent, noncooperation strategies that eventually succeeded in an independent India.

The AWB trip really helps bring Indian culture right in to the girls’ lives. They learn a short Bollywood dance (a blend of traditional Indian dancing and modern hip hop) taught by Bhagya, the owner of Bollywood Rhythms in Naperville.

They also complete a piece of Madhubani art which is traditional Indian folk art. This year, some girls drew elephants while others drew fish. Jay, the instructor, gave the girls a bit of history – Madhubani was traditionally done by rural women who mixed their own paint colors. Madhubani also provided a way for illiterate women to earn money as they could be paid to complete a mural in a village or in someone’s home.

Another woman played the veena for the girls. It’s an Indian instrument sort of like a guitar, but it more complicated. The girls also had the chance to experience henna by designing patterns for their friends’ hands and vice versa. And we end the day with a viewing of Bride and Prejudice which is a Bollywood movie that parodies Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The movie is replete with singing and dancing that are central to Bollywood movies. But this movie was made for western audiences – a kind of crossover with several English / American actors.

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