Dance groups from Northwestern and the Chicago area performed in the Technological Institute on Saturday night, competing for cash prizes in China Care’s first “NU Think U Can Dance?” charity event.

NU’s chapter of China Care is part of the China Care Foundation, which supports orphaned children in China. The fundraiser was held to benefit the international nonprofit Half the Sky Foundation and China Care’s mentorship program, which brings children adopted from China to NU to participate in activities that help keep them in touch with Chinese culture.

About 100 people attended the event, which raised money for the charity through ticket sales. All attendees could vote for their favorite dance group during the event and the top two winners, who received cash prizes, were announced at the end.

NU’s Hindi film dance team A-NU-Bhav, who won first place, received $125 for its dance group and the second place winners, a group from Loyola University Chicago called Kapwa Modern, won $75.

“We wanted to do something that brought everyone together as a community and we also wanted to incorporate audience participation,” said Medill sophomore Bethany Ao, China Care’s co-fundraising chair.

Ao, a Daily columnist, began organizing the event in the spring, contacting various dance groups at NU and other Chicago-area universities, asking if they had an interest in participating in the fundraiser. NU’s Afterparty, A-NU-Bhav, Bhangra, Deeva Dance Troupe, Graffiti Dancers and Typhoon Dance Troupe participated, in addition to Loyola’s Kapwa Modern and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s FIA Modern.

“We had never performed at Northwestern before, and we decided why not give it a shot,” said UIC junior Monique Llorens, coordinator of FIA Modern.

A-NU-Bhav co-captain Neha Kumar, a Weinberg junior, said her dance group thought it would be fun to participate in the event.

“All the dance teams dancing here, they’re trying to do their part to raise money for charity,” she said. “We thought that’d be fun to perform and to do good at the same time.”

Weinberg sophomore Alekya Rajanala, who attended the event, said she liked the diversity of dance groups that performed.

“It represented the different cultures of the Northwestern and Chicago community,” she said.

China Care co-president Mike Han said the event was one of the biggest fundraisers the group has held. The Weinberg senior said although he had hoped for higher turnout, he thought the audience enjoyed the event.

Han said he’d like to see China Care make the dance competition an annual event.

“Over time, as people come to the show and word gets out that it was actually good and they liked it, I think more and more people will come,” he said. “I have really high hopes for the future of NU Think U Can Dance.”

Email: [email protected]