11/4 Diwali Celebration with Aki Kumar at the Brookdale Lodge

Join for the Indian Festival of Diwali, the Celebration of Lights on Thursday, November 4th at 5:00 PM at the Historic Brookdale Lodge. Music by the Aki Kumar Band, dance performance by Shakti Bhakti Dance, Henna by HandinHandHenna, and more.

Aki Kumar left his home in Mumbai with the intention of working as a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Then he discovered the blues, and his life dramatically changed. Singing and playing harmonica, he steeped himself in the music and became a fixture in blues clubs throughout Northern California, where he developed an unique, audacious blend of Chicago-style blues which then led to playing retro Bollywood songs mixed with the blues.

Kumar’s visionary stylistic mix, called Bollywood Blues, has already won him widespread attention. In addition to the local live music venues where he’s built an enthusiastic audience, he’s performed at the prestigious Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, been featured on PRI “The World,” and toured in India, Russia, Scandinavia, and South America. Now, after spending more than a decade developing his sound with the help of some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians, Aki Kumar continues to take his love for the blues to new and fascinating place.

Shakti Bhakti Ensemble is an SF Bay Area-based dance company dedicated to the exposition of Odissi Classical Indian Dance. Shakti Bhakti dancers are a diverse and dynamic group of women, bringing to the stage a compelling display of rhythm, movement, and color with a fresh perspective of an ancient dance form.

Revital Carroll, founder, and artistic director had studied Odissi Dance with some of India’s most eminent dance gurus; Gangadhar Pradhan, Bichitrannada Swain, Sujata Mohapatra, and Sharmila Biswas, to name a few. She teaches and performs at private events, workshops, conferences, and festivals worldwide.

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3pF36vCsO