Our Mission
The Rajkumari Cultural Center (RCC) is a community-based, multi-arts organization that works to rejuvenate Indo-Caribbean cultural and artistic life to this new American community. Cultural artistic skills and craftsmanship emerge with short-term and year-round interaction in classes and workshops with elder custodians, master-artists, scholars and tradition-bearers working with community youth and families. RCC has been dedicated to revitalizing and nurturing Indo-Caribbean and South Asian cultural arts to build a bridge for an isolated ethnic minority of New Americans to participate in the cultural life of City, State and Nation.
RCC preserves, teaches and presents the arts and culture of Indo-Caribbean communities from Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica and Suriname living in the New York Metropolitan and Tri-state area. The Center works to establish identity and overcome isolation of the Indo-Caribbean people and youth by creating bridges of understanding and appreciation to the wider multi-ethnic and cultural society. A walk down memory lane The Rajkumari Center was founded by the late Kathak Dance Exponent, Artist and Activist, Gora Singh A.A., and his sister, Pritha. Gora believed art belonged to the people, and not a select few, so he launched MAP: A Multi Arts Program taking performance arts to isolated and under-served immigrant communities in Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island and Manhattan. MAP continues to be the bedrock our our organization.
The Rajkumari Center was Incorporated in The State of New York as a Not-for-Profit Arts Organization with 501c3 Status in 1996 Our Founders Gora & Pritha Singh |
Unbroken Traditions at The Rajkumari Center
1995-2014: M.A.P. a multi-arts program Classes/workshops in classical disciplines ~ music, dance, drama, spoken-word, play-writing, visual arts, installations; contemporary visual and performaing arts; and community arts circles in Indo-Caribbean folk arts practices.
1995-96 - The Sound of Her Bells /Inki Ghungru Ki Awaaz
Music, Dance-Drama by Rajkumari Singh, A.A. 1996-97 - Pushpanjali - The Mariammen Music/Dance
Theater of the Madrasi People of Guyana 1997 - Karna & Kunti and Chandalika by Tagore
1998-2014: The 17th Annual Kitchrie Festival of Indo- Caribbean Arts and Culture 1999-2016 - Multi-Arts Series of Indo- Caribbean Heritage Arts & Artifacts ~ Art installations, seminars, workshops and traditional music presentations.
2003-2016: Women of the Mahabarata Music, Dance- Drama Written by Pritha Singh; Original Music and Composition by Radha Singh and Bonnie Kirk
2003-2004 - Art Interpreted
A Collage of Artistic Expression ~ Monthly cabaret of original music, dance and spoken-word performances by professinal & emerging artists. 2005 - Mariammen Pugal Malaai A Garland of Flowers for Mother. Music, Dance-Drama in collaboration with Pujari Basdeo Mangal and Anil Mangal of Shri Maha Kali Devi Mandir,
2013-1016 - American Betis Live! (bay-tees ~ daughters) A cultural mapping of East Indian women, migrations and transformation from continent to continent.
2013-2016 - The Ramleela
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