Dandenong, October 15: A concert, organised to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, showcased the evolution of Indian women through the eyes of Bollywood – panning from docile and well-mannered Madhubala to exuberant Deepika’s and Alia’s norm-breaking, at The Castle, here.
“The concert was a huge success and we had an overwhelming response from the audience”, said director-organiser, Preethi Malcolm speaking exclusively to Bharat Times.
The concert was attended by more than 150 people and the maiden effort raised more than $1500 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
An individual initiative, it was “my maiden concert… and a group of friends who trusted my vision, joined me to ensure this project was a success because it was for a noble cause”.
Conceptualised on the evolution of women through the Bollywood prism it was a journey from the 1940s to the present, Preethi explained.
“Never trained and mostly middle aged women as dancers was the unique part of our show. This debut performance was a dream-come-true for most of them”, she said of her team of dancers.
Preethi, originally from Bangalore, is a trained Bharat Natyam dancer, having trained for 9 years under her Guru, Mrs Dhanam Prabhu.
Although Preethi works full time in a global IT consulting firm, classical dancing is her passion – she is currently learning Kathak.
“I work, yet dance has always been my first love.
“My biggest reward was that the audience loved it and the show was a hit!”
Currently, Melbourne based, Preethi lives with her husband and son.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation is a leading community-funded organisation in Australia raising money for research into the prevention and cure of breast cancer.
With up to 42 Australians diagnosed each day and seven dying from the disease, the Foundation’s aspirational goal is to achieve zero deaths by 2030.
Ramakrishna VenuGopal