A night of Bollywood music and dance at an MLB game.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: Former Miss America Nina Davuluri proved to be lucky for the Philadelphia Phillies after she threw the first pitch at a MLB game on April 11: the Phillies beat the Nationals on a night which also saw fans and families throughout the nation witness a historic night in Philadelphia with a memorable evening celebrating cultural diversity.
The Phillies fans got an outstanding entertainment line-up featuring on-field performers, a dance spectacular at Left Field plaza, a Bollywood performance on the dug-out with the Philly Phanatic, and a first pitch honoring Miss America 2014, on April 11, according to a press release.
Fans were welcomed into the stadium to the sounds of the top 40 in Bollywood fused with western beats. The city’s top university dance teams took stage to bring South Asia to Philadelphia and were seen performing and giving fans an opportunity to learn some of the latest moves.
The plaza event culminated with a visit from Davuluri who greeted fans, eager to shake her hand or snap a selfie. Moments before throwing out the pitch Nina exclaimed, “Being here for Asian Pacific night and spreading my message of Cultural Competency has been amazing! I’m looking forward to a great game and win for the Phillies!”
Davuluri is the first contestant of South Asian descent to win the Miss America competition and the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage. It was another first with Major League Baseball and Citizen’s Bank Park where she became the first South Asian Miss America to throw out the first pitch.
“Our company has been organizing events with the Phillies for many years offering a large platform to honor renowned artists like Jay Sean, Raghav, Tina Sugandh, and Rajé Shwari. In our 10th year, we wanted to bring someone who was a beacon of inspiration to South Asians throughout the world – with all that she does with promoting cultural diversity and charity, Nina Davuluri was the perfect fit!” said Mayank Amin, CEO and founder of Platinum Dream Events, who organized the cultural shows.