Nitu Rajbahndari (Beaverton) is a Nepalese classical and folk dancer. Rajbahndari performs classical ritual and regional ethnic folk dances for special events in her community and with the Nepali Organization of Oregon.
Bio
Nitu Rajbahndari, who grew up in Nepal, began dancing when she was a child. Her father was adamant that she dance only at home and in school. After she moved to Oregon, however, Rajbahndari began to perform publicly. At her home in Beaverton, she hosts a group of women from many different Nepalese tribes who gather to teach each other about their respective traditional dance forms. They perform for special events in the Nepali community, especially those hosted by the Nepali Organization of Oregon. Rajbahndari’s favorite celebrations include the Nepalese New Year and the festival of Tihar, a fall harvest holiday similar to the Indian Diwali (Hindu festival of lights celebrated in autumn in the northern hemisphere or spring in the southern). One of the oldest classical dances that Rajbahndari and the women perform is Maruni. For this slow-paced dance, group members wear elaborate, colorful costumes, gold jewelry, and headdresses. Women wear red cholis (blouses), long saris, and white patukas (waistbelts), while men wear brightly colored shirts and kakhuri (curved blade knives) at their waists. This dance is common to Nepal and Northern India. Because Maruni is so popular with audiences, the group has decided to feature it more frequently. Historically, maruni was associated with Tihar, and women did not dance; instead, men, dressed as women, performed. Nowadays, the dance is popular at weddings and birthday celebrations and women and men perform it together.
