“Rangeela,” the Hindi word for colors, was an appropriate title for the South Asian Student Alliance show Saturday night.
The performers wore brightly colored South Asian clothes, and the emcees parodied the Blue Man Group in SASA’s semi-annual cultural show, which combined traditional South Asian dances with more modern movements from Eastern and Western cultures.
“Rangeela: The Colors of South Asia Unite” played to a sold-out audience in Ryan Family Auditorium. SASA usually schedules the cultural shows for Fall and Spring Quarter, but Chirag Chauhan, a McCormick sophomore and SASA cultural chair, said this year they wanted “a change of pace.”
He also said more freshmen were involved this year than last year.
About 80 students participated in Rangeela this year, dancing, singing or acting in skits. SASA’s board members introduced themselves early in the program and then made way for the dancers.
Some dances were traditional, such as Geetadwani, a blending of three dance forms. Smoke and lights added to the choreography and music, which included classical and popular South Asian songs. Fast-paced, high-energy numbers such as Dholna and The Freshmen Sensation drew cheers and applause from the audience. In Dholna, dancers kept the rhythm with sticks they banged together and on the floor.
Ankita Gandi, a Weinberg sophomore, helped choreograph the dance.
“We had a lot of fun,” she said. “On stage, we had a blast. Everyone just loved it, and that was the most important thing.”
Weinberg junior Nirali Desai said she and the other Dholna dancers wanted “to get people to see traditional Indian culture.”
Between dances, Weinberg freshman Richa Sachdev sang while her brother played guitar, and NU’s South Asian a cappella group, Brown Sugar, sang a traditional Indian song and an American song.
A two-part fashion show showcased traditional Indian clothing and modern clothes. Video clips between performances showed scenes of Rangeela performers practicing and NU students trying – unsuccessfully – to answer questions about South Asia.
Chauhan, the Cultural chair, said one of the goals of Rangeela was “to show what South Asia is to the campus” and “to increase awareness of the diversity of South Asia.”
Joanne Claveria, a Weinberg sophomore, said she liked the universal appeal of Rangeela.
“Even if you weren’t Indian, you could come in and enjoy the show,” she said.
The show started late and experienced technical difficulties throughout the night, but the audience stayed energetic, especially when the emcees flung free T-shirts from the stage. At the end, everyone was directed to Sargent Hall, where an Indian dinner was provided by the Viceroy of India restaurant.
