My awesome project is to host several outdoor, music and dance events where I will provide a mix of music and dances based from India. I strive to bring diverse communities together through music and dances and build knowledge and community cohesiveness through artistic collaboration. At these free events I will bring together singers, dancers and other artists to showcase their regional music. I will set up a DJ booth and provide marketing/outreach for each event to make sure the neighborhood and entire city knows about the event.

Throughout the year, I will partner with at least three, various long-standing events such as the Alberta Art Walk, Portland Street Bazaar, Mt. Tabor dance parties to integrate South Asian music and dance. My motivation for this project comes from my deeply-held belief that creating a safe and inclusive space for music and dance can bring together people from every background and culture. I believe learning about one, small aspect of Indian culture could spark an interest in exploring and supporting the South Asian community. Each aspect of the free events will include educational information to increase the understanding of Indian culture. With the onset of the pandemic, my financial resources have been extremely reduced and providing free, community events has become difficult. This grant will provide the opportunity to continue bringing the people of Portland together through music and dance.