Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations: Crawley Bollywood dancer performs in front of the Queen to celebrate her 70-year reign on the throne at Windsor Castle

Bollywood dancer and actor Saaj Raja got the opportunity to perform with his troupe for five nights at the Queen's 70-year reign celebrations at Windsor Castle for five nights.

The theme of the performance was 'Unity in Dance' and his dance troupe showcased two traditional forms of folk dancing (Bhangra and Garba) from the regions of Punjab and Gujarat.

The Bollywood dancer’s heritage is Gujarati and this is the first time Garba has been showcased on an international stage in front of the Queen. He felt honoured to represent his culture and roots in this way.

Saaj is an actor and dancer born and raised in Crawley. He attended Hazelwick School and grew up dancing on local stages at Diwali shows and Mela events. He was in a play in London at The Pleasance Theatre about NHS Paramedics ('I Couldn't Do Your Job').

Saaj said: “I’m part of a dance company called ‘The Bollywood Co’ that was founded by the talented Nileeka Bose and I was brought in for the event at Windsor Castle.

“They wanted to bring performers from the Commonwealth and we were there to represent India with The Bollywood Co.

“For me, it was an incredible experience. I’ve been dancing since I was four years old and have performed internationally since I was 14. This is probably the pinnacle of my performing experiences to be able to dance for The Queen, especially on this momentous occasion.

“The show was really unique as it was over the course of four nights, so every night we performed the same routine, which included different members of the Royal Family each night. At the last performance at Windsor Castle, there was a different buzz in the air as it was televised live on ITV.

“The performers could feel the energy during the performance, we were all boosting each other up and as we came off there was real electricity and buzz in the air. It was an incredibly momentous experience.

“We were a mix of dancers and for some of them, it was their first time performing on any professional stage. We were 50 dancers in total and had a mixture of people who had day jobs and full-time professional performers. To share that experience together was a once in a life-time experience.”

Saaj would like to give an honourable mention to:

The Creative Director and founder of the group BollyCo: Nileeka Bose

Assistant Choreographers: Kush Saigal, Ben Rawlings

Specialist Choreographers (Bhangra): Kanika Kaur Kanwar, Jeevan Sandhu

Specialist Choreographers (Garba): Vibs Patel

Bhangra Singer: Jaz Dhami

Garba Singer: Pritee Varsani

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The Bollywood Co. (BollyCo) is a dance company with a difference. Committed to shining the spotlight on South Asian dance, BollyCo has pioneered change across the entertainment industry from its inception. You can find out more here:https://www.thebollywoodco.com/