Fists pumping, glitter flashing, beats dropping, Sharaara - the University's competitive all-female fusion dance team - commanded attention as they took the stage on India Day earlier this month. And what better way to keep the audience's attention than to introduce Snooki from "Jersey Shore," played by one of the members of the team, in the opening video? The routine which followed was equally dynamic, with expressive hand movements, sequential jumps and graceful twirls executed at a techno music pace.
Fusion dance is a combination of classical, hip-hop and bhangra styles. "The great thing about fusion dance is being able to do a bunch of different styles in one routine," said Kelsey Millay, vice president and co-captain of the team.
Many members of the team join to continue dancing and meet people. "I have taken dance since I was 3 years old - jazz, classical Indian dance, hip-hop and bhangra," second-year College student Sneha Shah said. "This was a way for me to continue to dance even in college and get to know a group of girls."
It was also a way to continue dance after having had formal training in tap, jazz and ballet for Millay. What's different is that Millay, unlike the other 11 members of the team, is not Indian.
"I really got into Indian music and dance in high school, and I liked being in touch with different styles," Millay said.
Students audition in the fall to make the team, composed of 12 people, by learning and performing a routine on the spot in addition to dancing a prepared piece. Because the group performs a range of styles, students are not expected to be experienced in all different types of dance when they join the team. "Everyone comes in with different types of dance experience," Millay said. "Some people have done ballet, tap and jazz, and others have only ever done classical Indian dance. We're always happy to work with people, and help them pick up styles they are less familiar with."
Once on the team, students attend semiweekly practices as well as about two competitions per semester.
The competitions then provide a way for Sharaara to showcase its program, called "Goa Shore."
"We've put a lot of hard work into making the routine what it is ... and by the time the competition rolls around, it's just a fun weekend for us to hang out and show off our routine," Millay said.
The competitions are held throughout the country, including in Florida and South Carolina this semester, and about eight to 12 teams compete in each one, Shah said.
At competitions, the team is evaluated on entertainment, synchronization, creativity, fusion elements, costume, use of props and theme, all of which they fit into its eight-minute program.
"We used to be more focused on choreography," Millay said, "but now we've started focusing more on the entertainment aspect."
The entertainment aspect includes the incorporation of bigger moves, such as a series of stunts. The first stunt in the program occurs when half of the girls flip over their partners' arms, and the biggest is when Millay runs down the backs of her teammates and leaps off them with a split jump.
"Working on stunts is really hard. We practice them over and over again to figure out the best angles aesthetically," Millay said, "We've taken several falls in practice."
The team's choice of music also plays a role in the entertainment category. This year's program ranges from "We R Who We R" to "Whip My Hair" to "Teach Me How to Dougie" to several Bollywood songs. Shah said the team, whose program may be too Western at the moment, is trying to integrate more Indian elements.
"What's hard is maintaining the right balance between Western and Indian styles," second-year College student Meghana Kaloji said.
There's little uniformity across programs involved in competition, making judging trying at times.
"It's frustrating, because we're all compared to each other, even though some teams are really classical, while other teams like ours contain large segments of bhangra and hip-hop," Kalojjoli said.
Overall, the dancers in Sharaara find it to be an enjoyable opportunity. The team strives to mix Western and Indian dance and music and draw on a diverse group of students to create "an all-around fusion," Millay said.
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