During Diwali Mela 2008 (festival of light) celebrations at the University of Otago College of Education, the Nataraj Gosthi group thrilled the audience with traditional folk performances from India's northeastern Assam region.
The pieces combined graceful and energetic dance, vibrant costumes and Indian instruments to create a musically complex and visually stunning show.
Many troupe members were full-time performers from families who had produced several generations of folk entertainers.
Event co-ordinator Nayan Tadiyar, of Dunedin, said the festival is celebrated annually by most Indian families worldwide.
"It's a time when families light small oil lamps and candles around their homes to signify the renewal of life and growth in spring, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
"It's a Hindu ceremony which has been adopted by other religions and crosses all boundaries."
The "close-knit" Dunedin Indian community raised funds to cover the artists' costs, and was assisted by the Dunedin City Council, Community Trust of Otago and Creative Communities scheme.
"It's good to make connection with our culture by having these dancers perform and it helps share these much loved traditional pieces with people here," she said.
Each year, cultural groups from different India regions are sponsored by the Indian Government's Council for Cultural Relations, to tour about 50 countries during the week-long festival.
The Nataraj Gosthi group will perform in Wellington, Auckland and Sydney this month.
