MECA Presents Namita Bodaji, Indian Classical Dancer in the Bharath Natyam Style.

Entertainment Editors

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 2003

On Friday, May 2, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. Namita Bodaji will perform at MECA. This is Ms. Bodaji's second trip to MECA and third to Houston. She was here in 2000 and 2001, from her home in Mumbai, India. The 39-year-old Bodaji received her Masters in English Literature from Bombay University and received training from the gurus of the renowned institute Sri Rajrajeshwari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir. Her principal teachers at the institute were Guru Vasant, Guru Kalaimamani Mahalingam Pillai, and Smt Karunambal Pillai.

Namita Bodaji performed extensively abroad including the World Folk Festival in 1988, SV Temple in Pittsburgh in 2000, Houston Institute of Culture at the University of Houston in 2000, India Classical Music Society at the Le Mont Temple in Chicago in 2000, Cornell India Association at Cornell University in Ithaca in 2001, Houston Institute for Culture at Rice University in 2001, and Diversity Week at Texas A&M in 2001. Ms. Bodaji conducted a three-day workshop in Falmouth, Cape Cod for the Dance Vision 2000 Festival and also conducted a series of workshops in 2001 in Falmouth and Woodshole, Cape Cod. She was a member of the Group Study Exchange Program for Professionals when they visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2000. The Rotary International Foundation organized this program.

Namita Bodaji trains seriously inclined students in the Bharata Natyam at her Institute Samskara. She is also teaching Bharatanatyam in the reputable Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai. Ms. Bodaji will be performing and conducting workshops throughout the United States during April, May, and June 2003.

Who:        Namita Bodaji

What:       Indian Classical Dancer in the Bharath Natyam Style

When:       Friday, May 2, 2003
            At 7:30 p.m.

Where:      MECA
            1900 Kane
            Houston, Texas 77007

Admission:  $5.00 Per Person
            Tickets Available through www.TicketWeb.com

For more information, please visit MECA's website at www.meca-houston.org which is generously designed and hosted by Idea Integration.

Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA) is a community-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the healthy social, cultural, and academic development of at-risk, inner-city youth through education in the arts. MECA offers classical and ethnic arts education, sports, and recreation, and support services to approximately 2,500 students a year through the In-School, After-School, and Summer Arts Programs.