The auditorium was filled with eager students – waiting for the South Asian dancers to begin as well as for the delicious Indian food that was being served after the show!
The stage went completely black and the crowd hushed into silence- Chahiti, the PR executive of SASA took the stage in a shimmering white costume and started off the show with a classical Indian dance known as ‘ Bharatnatyam’.
Taking a quick look into the Indian Dance Bharatanatyam- it is both abstract and expressive. The abstract movements are done to show rhythm, to provide decoration, and to create beauty. There is no purpose but movement for its own sake. Expressive movements convey meaning and show emotion, through a vocabulary of hand gestures, postures, and facial expressions. Their purpose is to portray a theme or feeling, and to transmit an experience of it to the audience and all the dancers did so marvelously.
I think the SASA group went all out when they danced to a remix of a Hindi song, which incorporated a little bit of two different cultures, making it very new and interesting for the audience to watch. The whole audience was definitely captured by their performance as they cheered on all the performers.
In between all the dances, we had the opportunity to enjoy a skit, where the students played the role of our favorite characters from the show “Friends”. There were a lot of laughs in the audience, which lifted the mood and made the event all the more enjoyable.
The outfits worn by the students in the dances surel
y caught the attention of many in the audience. When I asked Charbel Hanna in the audience what he liked most about the show, he told me he really enjoyed looking at how different and nice the clothing was and was intrigued by the difference in cultures.
Sowmya Gadiraju is all smiles in traditional Indian clothing during the Fashion Show The night ended with the senior dance, which must have been emotional for the entire SASA group as they were saying goodbye to their President – Greeshma Rajeev. The dancers engaged the audience by running through the auditorium and dancing, which I think made the whole audience feel a part of their whole ‘Diwali’ journey.
Nida Jamsheed, who was a part of the SASA E-board and participated in the night’s event, said that participating in the Diwali event was one of her favorite events, because it brought everyone together. “They are my family” she said smiling after a night of hard work and excitement.
Her words made me realize how Bentley communities and organizations turn into families. I think that was very evident on November 6th, watching the SASA group performing together. At the end of the day, we are all a part of the Bentley family. Don’t you agree?
Stay tuned, to read more about more events and students in your community!