Visit Bollywood as part of City’s salute to AAPI cultures

Visit Bollywood as part of City's salute to AAPI cultures

Published on April 24, 2024

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander to the United States.

The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent - including East, Southeast and South Asia - and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, there were about 20.6 million people of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, AAPI people are a diverse and growing population that make up about 7% of the total U.S. population.

To celebrate, the City of Fort Worth Diversity & Inclusion employee committee is hosting a program, Bollywood: East Meets West, on Thursday, May 9, from noon to 1 p.m. Watch via FWTV and the City's YouTube channel.

About the program: The program will feature a presentation by Joshi Hetal, a passionate performing artist focused on maintaining cultural tradition through Indian folk and Bharatanatyam dances, that includes an overview of Indian traditional dance, a history of Bollywood and its cultural significance and influence on pop culture. There also will be a performance and instruction by dancers who have been trained by Hetal in both traditional Indian and Bollywood-style dance.

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• Arts & Culture