For one night, UW-Madison is the middle of the Bollywood universe

Bollywood dance teams from across the nation performed for a packed auditorium at UW-Madison Saturday nighttime, in a contest filled with intricate dance moves, artistic storytelling and camaraderie.

“It’s first-rate to have this as a cultural show off for the Madison neighborhood,” referred to Chandra Chouhan, UW-Madison senior and executive director of Aa Dekhen Zara, the school’s annual Bollywood fusion dance competition. “everybody looks forward to ADZ every year as a result of that's a taste of domestic for lots of people.”

KC Chakra from the institution of Missouri-Kansas metropolis performs all the way through Aa Dekhen Zara, an annual Bollywood fusion dance competition at UW-Madison Saturday night. 

SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL

each year, Aa Dekhen Zara brings probably the most most useful school Bollywood fusion dance groups together to compete towards one one other. This year, seventy two groups underwent an in depth utility method, with simply eight selected to operate. Saturday's competition featured three groups from California together with dance businesses from the school of Missouri-Kansas metropolis, the school of Cincinnati, the university of Michigan, the college of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and St. Louis college.

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as a result of guidelines from the ADZ’s guardian organization, Desi Dance network, dance teams from UW-Madison don't seem to be allowed to compete. although, some native dance groups did nevertheless operate Saturday nighttime, including Wisconsin Surma, a Bollywood fusion dance group at UW-Madison. 

The competitors is the end result of countless hours of training, from developing choreography, long rehearsals and developing props that the long-distance teams must fly in. Ali Mohammad, a dancer for UIUC Fizaa, mentioned Aa Dekhen Zara is one of four competitions that his group is determined to shuttle to this year. The weeks leading as much as a competition are often demanding, he pointed out, making it difficult to steadiness dance and teachers. 

“in the two weeks before this competitors, we now have been practicing from seven at evening to one or two in the morning. It’s been a really long technique,” Mohammad mentioned. “I definitely pushed myself to the max.”

a number styles and reports

Bollywood dance rose out of the recognition of Bollywood movies from India, neatly favourite for his or her totally theatrical ensemble dance routines, construction design and track. In these films, track and dance are often used to help inform a narrative.

The style of dance is highly athletic and full of life, merging classical Indian varieties and greater modern forms like jazz and hip-hop.

The featured teams at the Memorial Union Saturday performed Bollywood fusion, which customarily includes a mix of dance types together with classical Indian styles, bhangra, hip-hop, ballet and extra. every group carried out an eight- to 10-minute pursuits with a theme, which ranged from the plot of "The starvation video games" movie to a "Looney Tunes"-impressed dance from the tuition of Michigan. 

A dancer from UC Dhadak at the institution of Cincinnati performs all through Aa Dekhen Zara, which drew near 1,000 attendees Saturday night. every of the eight teams needed to function a themed dance hobbies. 

SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL

many of the dance teams enlist the help of professional DJs from throughout the nation to generate a one-of-a-type music mix that their dance routines are set to. each and every combine comprises a wide range of songs from a considerable number of musical genres and languages.

“As students who've grown up within the United States, I feel we've got passed through this time of turning out to be up and being very at a loss for words about our identification,” Chouhan talked about. “as a way to be capable of collect rap and pa, with very traditional tunes that we heard turning out to be up in our mom tongue is basically cool.” 

behind the scenes

the first Aa Dekhen Zara competition was held in 2014. due to the fact that then, it has regularly grown as a means for college kids to have fun their cultures through dance to one of the most standard Bollywood fusion dance competitions within the country. The competitors is run via an govt group of 18 students, along with a team of 40 scholar liaisons, who are in cost of directing the touring teams around campus and Madison for the weekend.  

The crew from UC Berkeley Azaad performs throughout Aa Dekhen Zara, an annual Bollywood dance fusion competitors organized with the aid of UW-Madison students.

SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL

for many UW-Madison college students worried in Aa Dekhen Zara, the competition represents so much greater than dance. it be a means that they’ve been in a position to make close pals and share their subculture with the wider Madison neighborhood. 

“loads of my close chums ended up fitting part of ADZ, or I've met lots of people through ADZ, and people are nonetheless one of the closest relationships I have,” pointed out Paraneeth Venigalla, head liaison for Aa Dekhen Zara.

Dancing for a cause 

each year, ADZ’s executive team picks a social cause or organization to highlight, and this yr they decided to focus on intellectual fitness attention, identifying three companies to highlight: Saurya Media, a South Asian media enterprise that seeks to lift awareness about social issues via dance; mental health Initiative for South Asians, a formative years-led company that runs a database of South Asian care providers; and the Sarah Shulze groundwork, which promotes intellectual fitness recognition, the wants of pupil-athletes and women’s rights.

“We're concentrated lots on, like, dance, which is tremendous large within the South Asian group, however it's basically vital to focal point on other issues past that,” said Khush Patel, the Aa Dekhen Zara finance chair. “We thought that it could be beneficial and critical for our dancers to profit focus about mental fitness and maintain it in intellect when they may be going via this experience.”

And the winner is ...

at the conclusion of the nighttime, the dance group UIUC Fizaa, from the school of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, took home first region for its routine impressed by means of "Avatar: The closing Airbender." Michigan Manzat from the institution of Michigan took home second area, and UCLA Nashaa from the university of California, la took home third vicinity. 

USC Zeher performs a "Stranger issues"-themed pursuits all through UW-Madison's annual Aa Dekhen Zara competition. each team needed to select a theme, typically taken from accepted culture.

SAMANTHA MADAR, STATE JOURNAL

Ali Mohammad, a freshman who danced for the successful crew, referred to he always knew that he wanted to bounce competitively for a Bollywood fusion team in faculty, and this school year, he received his desire. And like lots of the students from across the nation who carried out at UW-Madison Saturday nighttime, he has no plans to slow down every time quickly. 

“i have been working towards dance considering the fact that i was a kid and i've grown such a large passion for it,” he spoke of. “I do not think i can ever cease.”

KC Chakra performs throughout Aa Dekhen Zara at UW Memorial Union-Shannon corridor in Madison, Wis., Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. SAMANTHA MADAR,STATE JOURNAL

SAMANTHA MADAR

A dancer from UC Dhadak performs throughout Aa Dekhen Zara at UW Memorial Union-Shannon corridor in Madison, Wis., Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. SAMANTHA MADAR,STATE JOURNAL

SAMANTHA MADAR

USC Zeher performs all the way through Aa Dekhen Zara at UW Memorial Union-Shannon corridor in Madison, Wis., Saturday, Feb. three, 2024. SAMANTHA MADAR,STATE JOURNAL

SAMANTHA MADAR

USC Zeher performs right through Aa Dekhen Zara at UW Memorial Union-Shannon hall in Madison, Wis., Saturday, Feb. three, 2024. SAMANTHA MADAR,STATE JOURNAL

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