The rich culture, history, and intrigue of India take the spotlight at Penn Museum Saturday, March 24 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, with Hello India! This special celebration of the vibrant nation welcomes children and families for an afternoon of classical dance performances and workshops, lively music, spicy Indian food, and an assortment of arts and crafts activities for all ages. Hello India! is FREE with Museum admission ($10 general admission; $7, seniors and military; $6, children 6-17 and students with ID; free for children under 6).

Hello India! is co-sponsored by the International Classroom at Penn Museum, the South Asian Center of Penn, Bharatiya Temple and Cultural Center, Chinmaya Mission, and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The celebration features an exciting lineup of dance performances, concentrated on Indian classical and folk dance. At 1:30 pm, Penn Thillana, the University of Pennsylvania’s premiere classical Indian dance troupe, invites guests to learn traditional moves during an interactive workshop. At 2:30, performers from Bharathiya Temple and Cultural Center of Chalfont, Pennsylvania join the fun, presenting a lecture, demonstration and workshop of Indian dance. The presentation features a short introduction on Bharathanatyam, a South Indian style of dance, and a workshop on hand gestures and basic and advanced steps. Then their dance troupe, comprised of students ages 6-12 from the Bharathiya Vidhyalaya school, teaches guests about traditional Kummi, Garba and Dandiya folk dances. At 3:00, Penn Thillana returns for a dazzling classical dance performance in the Museum’s Upper Egyptian gallery.

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