Performers hailing from all throughout India graced the stage of Jesse Hall Auditorium in celebration of the country’s diverse sounds, colors and culture for the 28th annual India Nite hosted by the Cultural Association of India (CAI) 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 19. 

Dancers glided across the stage, their carefully choreographed movements synchronized with the beat of the music. With each step the metal adorning their clothing quitely clinked as the colorful drapery billowed around their feet. Everything from traditional to Bollywood music blared through the speakers, but still one could hear the gentle patter of feet on the wooden stage. The audience, so large that several stood at the perimeter of the room, cheered and applauded excitedly as each of the performances concluded.[vc_text_separator title=”People of India Nite”]

Riddhi Andurkrmn, master of ceremony

How would you describe India Nite this year?

“I think it turned out really well. I was an emcee last year as well, and I think this year, in general, it was much smoother because we learned from what we did last year. Overall, I think we put on a great show. It’s a little stressful, because you’re out in front of all these people and they’re kind of depending on you to guide them to the show, but once you get into it, and they kind of start responding to what you say, it’s really, really fulfilling and satisfying.”

How long have you been preparing for India Nite?

“I have been preparing to be emcee since we had auditions on September 22. That’s when we officially decided who the emcees were going to be. We’ve been basically preparing since then, but the final preparations happened in these last 24 hours.”

Why do you participate in India Nite?

“Coming into Columbia was a big shock for me because back home, I live in Naperville, Illinois,  and we have a lot of Indians there and like sometimes you don’t see very many Indians around Columbia. Having this event [with] all of us Indians in one room, it kind of makes me feel like I’m at home again. So it just makes Columbia feel a little bit more like home to me.”[/vc_column_inner]

Roland Nazareth, Cultural Association of India President

How would you describe India Nite this year?

“I hope it was one of the best in years, but I was not here to see the past two years’ performances. I’m just hoping that [this year] was the best.” 

What was it like running India Nite for the first time?

“It is specifically a very hectic job, but my team helped me a lot with it and some of [CAI members] managed to get it done. I’m really happy with it.”

Are there any takeaways from this year? 

“So there are a lot of takeaways and we did some good things as well. We started on schedule, but we did not end on schedule. The scheduling was good as like mentioned by the Jesse Hall crew, so that was a good thing. Apart from that everything was good.”

Is there anything you hope to improve for next year?

“We actually, I think, advertised a little bit less and started late, so probably I would want to improve on that.”[/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner]

Riya Amin, sophomore at RBHS and performer

Why did you participate in India Nite?

“It’s a great way to get involved in the community.”

 How long have you been participating? 

“This is my second year.”

How long have you been preparing? 

“We started the second week of September.”

How does this year compared to last year? 

“I love the dances of other groups, like the Jefferson City group, even though they stole some of the steps from our dance last year.”

Why do you think India night is important?

“It’s a great way to showcase the Indian community in Columbia.”[/vc_column_inner]

Samarth Sinha, junior at Jefferson City High School and performer

How was your experience with India Nite this year?

“It was good. We [practiced] hard. We had fun. I’ve been doing it for six years, so it’s been pretty fun.” 

What motivates you to travel all the way from Jefferson City to participate? 

“This is the only space where there’s a big enough auditorium or stadium so we can truly do this.”

How do you think this year compared to last year? 

“Well, this year, it’s been different. Last year, I was with some of the college kids I danced with. This year, I’ve danced with a couple of little kids that are in the Jeff City group. So it’s different but it was still fun, all the same.”

What’s your favorite part of India Nite?

“I gotta say it’s the overall culture with the singing, the dancing. I like just a couple of friends, a couple of family members, just having fun over the weekend.”[/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner]

Saloni Chaurasia, freshman at RBHS and performer

How would you describe participating in India Nite?

“[India Nite is] a good way to see other parts of India interact because usually when you think of India it’s like one big thing, but like here you get to see like specific cultures and stuff. It is really nice to look at the other performances and see other people.”

How did this year compare to other years?

“I feel like it was a lot faster. It went by really quick. You didn’t even get time to like, do anything I guess. I feel like it was less organized than the other years, like usually we have everything set but this year it was like ‘whoa.’”[/vc_column_inner]

Charu Murugesan, sophomore at RBHS and performer

How would you describe your experiences with India Nite this year?

“[India Nite] was very fast, it came faster than I expected it to come. This year is definitely the best of all the others. The first one I did was a bharatanatyam dance, which is more of a classical dance towards southern India. The second one was a garba dance which is northern India.”

How long have you been preparing?

“Since September, so a month.”[/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_text_separator title=”Major dance styles of India Nite”]

Bharatanatyam

[vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGcEFSclByU1V2ZEklMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html]Bharatanatyam is one of the main classical dance styles of India. It originated in the Tamil Nadu region in southern India. Traditionally, Bharatanatyam is characterized by slight and focused movements of the feet, hands and head. The dancers’ legs are bent in a low squat, and story lines are often pantomimed using the hands, all while the mood is defined by facial expression. In the traditional dance the hands are restricted to 11 mudras (symbolic hand gestures).

Bollywood

[vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGV21obTZaT0VieE0lMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html]Bollywood dancing is relatively modern, originating with choreography of Bollywood films. The style is a mixture of several techniques ranging from Indian folk to popular western. It is usually accompanied by music from Bollywood film soundtracks.

Bhangra

[vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGNVRVbDVKYk9BbnMlMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html]Bhangra is a style of dance that originated in the Punjab region in northwestern India and northeastern Pakistan. It is characterized by upbeat music and energetic movements. Often times dancers will perform kicks, leaps or other enthusiastic gestures.

Garba

[vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGaGNmejg5VUs0d28lMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html]Garba, also spelled garaba, is a type of Indian dance commonly performed at festivals and on other special occasions in the state of Gujarat in western India. This style is characterized by a sweeping action from side to side and circular formations. [penci_image_gallery images=”320195,320201,320189,320190,320191,320192,320194,320200″ auto_time=”4000″ speed=”800″ block_title_align=”style-title-left”]