Krewe da Bahn Gras

Krewe da Bahn Gras

Introducing Bollywood Dance to New Orleans Carnival

Alexandra Kennon

It’s doubtful there’s a more Louisiana way to celebrate finishing a PhD thesis than by choreographing a dance for a Mardi Gras parade, especially when there is an opportunity to use your now-official expertise to infuse new cultural influences into New Orleans’ vibrant traditions.

Soon to complete her English PhD at LSU in Bollywood and Indian Fiction, Ankita Rathour is heading a group of dancers as part of the recently-formed Krewe da Bhan Gras—who will debut New Orleans Carnival’s first traditional Bollywood performance through the streets as part of the Krewe Bohème Parade on February 3.

Krewe da Bhan Gras was formed with a mission to, “represent the South Asian diaspora in New Orleans,” while “entertain[ing] and inspir[ing] parade-goers with vibrant, upbeat, traditional Indian dance.”

The group of dancers and auxiliary support people (among them Rathour’s husband, Jason Christian, who sometimes contributes to Country Roads), have been taking time from their individual busy schedules to rehearse the Bollywood-style dance twice a week in a St. Claude Avenue space leading up to the big night. “It’s been going really fantastic, to be honest,” Rathour gushed. “How quickly everybody is just grasping the steps has been very impressive for me.”

And as for finishing her thesis, Rathour agrees that a Bollywood-inspired celebration wrapped into a Mardi Gras parade couldn’t be a more fitting conclusion.

“This is like, the best way to graduate,” she laughed. “And I can’t imagine a better culture than New Orleans and a better place than New Orleans to do a Bollywood kind of a fusion dance … I think just, you know, the city is absolutely perfect for like a melting pot of cultures and people just coming and having a good time.”

Look for the Krewe da Bhan dancing as part of the Krewe Bohème Parade on February 3 at 7 pm. kreweboheme.com