Sara Patrawala came to college prepared. Equipped with colorful traditional Indian flowing skirts, cropped tops, shawls and jewelry, the Weinberg sophomore arrived at Northwestern ready to dance.

Like many other Indian-American students, Patrawala entered NU looking forward to garba and bhangra, forms of traditional Indian dance that usually draw hundreds of students to each campus event.

“I came with everything,” Patrawala said. “I came prepared because I knew this is what I wanted to do.”

Swirling skirts, clanking bangles, bare feet, upbeat music and high energy — walking into Patten Gym Saturday night was like walking onto the set of a Bollywood dance number.

More than 100 students, both Indian and non-Indian, came to the first-ever bhangra night sponsored by Om, NU’s Hindu Students Council.

During October and November, Om and the South Asian Student Alliance both organized dances in celebration of a nine-day harvest festival.

“The dancing is energetic, colorful and wild,” said Abhishek Lahoti, a McCormick sophomore. “We have a lot of fun with it.”

Usually danced with family and friends, these traditional dances turn into giant social events in college that rival other weekend parties.

“It’s a good way to get all pumped up, it’s free and you can go crazy,” said Sumit Chhadia, a Weinberg freshman. “It’s a good way to express yourself since there’s so many different varieties.”

Weinberg junior Lakshmi Tummala, president of SASA, stressed the similarities between the dances.

“You can get in line and garba together because the steps are the same no matter where you come from,” Tummala said. “It’s an instant connection between people.”

Maulin Shah, a McCormick sophomore, describes bhangra as dancing with “two hands out and one leg up.” Bhangra-style dancing hails from northern India and features loud beats, percussion and pop-style music.

Garba is a form of folk dance, slower and more graceful than bhangra. The basic step moves dancers in a circle. Traditionally dancers circle a statue that represents their religious origins.

In raas, a variation of garba, dancers hold a stick in each hand, spinning and hitting their partners’ sticks in rhythm.

“I have my share of bruises on my thumbs and on my head from raas,” Lahoti said. “It’s all apart of the fun.”

Sometimes students break away from traditional dances and mix hip-hop dance moves with traditional Indian steps.

Students dance to Missy Elliot’s Indian-inspired rap numbers and other remixed English songs.

Though the majority of students grew up with garba and bhangra, there are many who are still learning the dances.

“Everyone so energetic that even if don’t know what you’re doing, it’s okay,” said Weinberg senior Avani Desai. “You always see these guys running around and jumping randomly. It’s so fun.”

Lahoti said he likes to bring his non-Indian friends to garbas.

“It’s not terribly hard to pick up and it’s one of those cultural things that’s fun to share with people,” Lahoti said.

Tummala says that during her freshman year only a handful of non-Indians attended SASA’s garba.

Since then the number of people curious about Indian culture has grown, she said.

“There were so many people who were not South Asian at the garba,” Tummala said. “They weren’t just standing on the side watching, they were participating and learning steps. It was so refreshing.”

These dances also act as a place to meet people and bond with friends.

“Everyone is doing the same thing, all laughing together,” said Ami Desai, Weinberg ’98. “Some people make up more complicated moves.

“It’s fun that everyone hang out together on a common ground, even if you’re not born into that culture,” she said.

Desai met her husband at an Indian cultural function.

“My husband always said that it was a great way to meet girls,” Desai said.

Reach Kenda Marr at [email protected].