India Express: Move & Make Music

Steps & Sounds of India is a fully interactive, movement-driven program designed to get children learning through dance, sound, and play. The first 50 minutes are led by dancer Sreethulasi Maninath, who teaches Bharatanatyam and other South Indian classical dances, beginning with a gentle yoga warm-up and moving into rhythm, gesture, and storytelling. Participants stay active throughout and will have the chance to dance using ghungaroo (ankle bell) props that bring sound and movement together in a hands-on way.

The second half is a 50-minute Indian music introduction and instrument “petting zoo” with Dr. Stan Scott, an ethnomusicologist and musician with decades of study and performance in North Indian classical and folk music, along with broad experience in world music performance and teaching.  Children will see and hear instruments up close, learn how they are played, and explore sounds through direct interaction. Together, these sessions offer an engaging, physical, and culturally…