September 26, 2017
Bryanna Winner
Students can learn about various cultures on campus through a variety of club events and activities. One of these ways is through dance.
The Bollywood Dance Team will host Diwali on Oct. 28 in Berger Hall. Katelyn Sethi, vice president of the dance team, said that it is her goal to showcase student Indian culture through dance.
“Dancing is a huge part of Indian culture no matter where you are from. We all speak different languages in India, but we all speak one thing similar, and that’s music,” said Sethi in an email.
Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is traditionally held in India each fall. This year, the festival will be held Oct. 19 internationally. The Indian Student Alliance will cohost the event alongside the Bollywood Dance Team.
Bollywood is a popular Indian dance style that includes unique foot, hand, neck and head movements, facial expressions and colorful costumes, according to BBC.
The team recently performed at the Multicultural Mixer of Sept. 19.
Junior Meera Khatri, president of the dance team, formed the team last year to showcase Indian culture alongside Sethi.
“My goal was to have a dance group on campus that would help bring [Indian culture] into the campus community,” said Khatri. “It was a fun way, in my opinion, to bring people together.”
According to Sethi the team has students of various religious backgrounds that are traditionally practiced in India, including Muslim and Sikh students.
“It’s nice that we get to express all techniques of dances through our favorite Bollywood hits,” said Sethi.
Khatri, who has dance certificates from New Delhi and Mumbai, India, said that the team decided to change their technique from Bollywood Zumba to Bollywood dance.
Khatri originally taught students in India, but said that the team is not competing. According to Khatri, there are only three members who consistently attend practices.
“At the time, I don’t know about any competitions for Bollywood and right now, it isn’t feasible because we don’t have a big enough team,” said Khatri.
“I think a good dance team has six to 10 members just because that’s how you get more elaborate routines and it’s just more fun that way.”
The team is also looking to recruit new members, whether they want to learn more about Indian dances, work out or perform with the group on campus, according to Sethi. The team meets Tuesdays in the Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in studio one.
“It’s hard to promote our team since we are small, but that hasn’t stopped us,” said Sethi.
Sethi has also worked to coordinate dancing events with the Urban Dance Club, Transmission and MOSAIC. She plans to continue to find more events that they can be in.
For more information on the Bollywood Dance Team, visit the team’s Mountain Lion Connect page at orgsync.com/148836/chapter.