How I Became Enchanted and Upstaged
Gateway Dance Theatre Hosts an Afternoon of Global Music, Dance, and Poetry.
She enchanted the room with the flick of her wrist and the flash of her fingers. Kinnari Vora’s unforgettable dance performance on Saturday was a spellbinding masterclass in storytelling that I will never forget.
I sat in the audience, waiting my turn to take the stage to share my poetry, and quickly realized that I had been upstaged.
I didn’t mind.
Vora is a dancer and choreographer with the world-renowned Surahbi Ensemble, a Chicago-based global music and dance collective whose musical stylings mix Indian, Middle Eastern, and Spanish sounds.
Saturday’s Des Moines Central Library performance also included Spanish guitar player Carlo Basile and percussionist Bob Garrett. They were joined by Gateway Dance Theatre’s master drummer, Lee Furgerson.
According to Garrett, the group’s mission is to "inspire and promote the power of music and art to bring people together.”
“It’s like Bob Marley says, one love. It’s a simple universal message,” shared Garrett.
Connection and culture are the lifeblood of the Surahbi Ensemble. They’ve performed on stages worldwide and in schools, hospitals, refugee organizations, neighborhood parks, and cultural centers.
The group was founded in 2010 by Saraswathi Ranganathan and Carlo Basile.
Vora points out, “It’s the cross-cultural connections. We use the commonalities in our art forms to connect with people."
For over 50 years, Penny Furgerson has used connection through the arts to build community in Des Moines. Penny is the founder of Gateway Dance Theatre, a cultural landmark known for its diverse dancers and long history of community outreach.
Gateway Dance Theatre hosted the Surahbi Ensemble and me.
“I wanted to share their talent with more people, and then you had just written your poem, A September Letter to Monarchs, which really struck me, so I thought this would work,” said Furgerson.
And it did work.
I performed my poetry in a room filled with shining faces and open hearts because the Surahbi Ensemble led the way and Penny Furgerson connected us all.