USC Indian Cultural Exchange hosts seven-school ‘Night of Fire’
The Koger Center of the Arts filled its seats on Saturday with witnesses to Aag Ki Raat, the USC Indian Cultural Exchange’s annual fusion dance competition.
Aag Ki Raat translates literally to “night of fire,” and that notion of liveliness fittingly characterizes how the show went.
The night began with heavy emotions in a video tribute to a recently deceased former member of the USC’s Moksha team, Krisha Desai. That sensation was then channeled into vitality once the show began and the verve of the dancers filled the room.
In addition to USC’s Moksha, teams from Tufts University, North Carolina State, Georgia, George Mason, Texas, Clemson and UNC all competed in a fusion dance format with choreography that meshed hip-hop, classical bhangra, Bollywood and contemporary Indian dance music. Many acts utilized percussive instruments and props in performances that were just as much about theater as they were about gyration.
“The teams put on a great performance,” said Arjun Varadarajan, a fourth-year biology student who is president of the Indian Cultural Exchange. “Dancing is such a big part of people’s culture and their music.”
Varadarajan said he was thrilled with the participation.
“We got a great turnout. We got a team from Boston and a team from Texas, so we’re pretty happy with that,” Varadarajan said. “Our exhibition act, Moksha, stays in contact with what is a pretty big Indian dance circuit.”
The first two performances were a retelling of the Tarzan legend and a reinterpretation of Cinderella made to fit into Indian culture dubbed “Cinderlaila.” All performances included a brief, two-minute video lead-up to the actual rendition.
Costumes ranged from contemporary pop culture figures and animalistic attire to classical Indian dress. Participants changed frequently, suiting the spirit of uncertainty and drama that was present throughout the night.
Furthering the theatrical aspect between the dances, the emcees of the event, Supriya Juneja and Pooja Malhotra, acted out skits which played on Indian stereotypes and ribbed at the customs of both Indian and American culture.
Ultimately, UNC’s team, Chalkaa, took home the first-place $1,000 prize, with and University of Texas’s Saaya and NC State’s Nazarre following as runners-up.
The proceeds of the event were split, with half of the donations going to Ekal Vidyalaya, an organization that aims to “bring education to underprivileged children in rural parts of India and empower the village community for its own self-development,” and the other half going to Globemed, which seeks to bring together students and communities around the world to improve the health of impoverished people.
“This is what we’ve planned on for six months,” Varadarajan said. “It’s just a culmination of us coming together, trying to throw a great event and trying to help the charities. We’re helping people and making new friends; it means everything to me.”