Ghungroo : A Dinner Dance Recital
Delhi or “Dehleez” has a rich and glorious history. There are various kinds of groups and organization which are actively working towards keeping the history alive. The process for all of them are different, some organize historical walks, some do food trails, some opt for photography, some decide to go for plays and many more. The more creative the storytelling is the more intriguing the history appears. And to step up the creative quotient Le Meridien New Delhi has come up with a unique concept Ghungroo, which combines Delhi’s rich history with classical dance form Kathak.
A little about Le Meridien’s ‘Destination Unlocked’ Inittiative
Le Meridien New Delhi has always taken pride in enabling guests to discover new perspectives through a series of innovative experiences that creates for a memorable stay and peaks the interest of a curious minded traveler.
Le Meridien hotels world -wide has a mission to expose the curious and creative minded travelers to the most unexpected and engaging experiences their destination has to offer, inside and outside the hotel, so they leave feeling fulfilled, having made a unique discovery they can share at their next stop.
In keeping with the brand’s vision of ‘Destination Unlocked’, Le Meridien New Delhi partnered with Rudra Experiences, a travel company that specializes in handcrafted tours and private journeys, to give the hotel guests a peak into the history of Delhi, the doorway to India. The idea evolved was to showcase Delhi’s history through a classical dance form and that’s where genesis of Ghungroo happened. ‘Ghungroo’ the sounds of yore is a Kathak dance musical narrative which brings alive the romance of a bygone era.
When I got a chance to be a part of such an interesting concept I said yes in a jiffy. Le Meridien was kind enough to take care of the logistics. And so I was ready with my armor to brace an interesting Sunday full of dance, music and good food. I reached the venue, Delhi Parsi Anjuman theater at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg well before time to catch some back stage action. The organizers allowed us to capture the dancers while they were getting ready and most importantly when they were tying their ghungroos.
Ghungroo – The Sounds of Yore
Ghungroo – The sound of yore is Delhi’s first dinner theater. The musical performance showcases the enchanting tales of power, conquests, revenge, devotion and love that was played out on the banks of Yamuna. The performance starts by taking you through the era of the first documented ruler of Delhi, Prithwi Raj Chauhan.
Yamuna river, which patronized the city has been woven together in a series of brilliantly choreographed renditions of Kathak, one of India’s oldest classical dance forms. The show has some quirky animated elements too which talk about important milestones of Delhi’s history.
Ghungroo not only highlights the important historical landmarks but also depicts how the change in terms of food, fashion, music and art evolved with time. The talented artists of the group performed on the classic “chaap tilak sab cheeni, mose naina milayke” and I had goosebumps. The whole ambiance, the music, the audio, the animation and the Kathak was very intelligently blend to present an innovative storytelling. The performance ended with an energetic bollywood dance performance because needless to day it is an integral part of the past and present.
The show is generally ensued by an authentic Barbecue dinner called “Angaaray- Straight from the Fire”. This again is a very well conceptualized and everything served is straight out of fire. I was part of the morning show which was organized for the Le Meridien guests. Hence there were no Barbecue dinner arrangement. We were served lunch inside the theater, open air lunch was just not an option in such an scorching heat.
Details about the show:
Time: 6:15pm – 9:30pm
Place: Ghungroo, Delhi Parsi Anjuman, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, LNJP Colony, New Delhi
Nearest Metro: Delhi Gate Metro (Opening Shortly)
Price: INR 3000 per person
Includes: An immersive dance narrative. An authentic, hand crafted, barbecue dinner.
If you are a guest at Le Meridien New Delhi you can find out details about this show from their front desk.
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