Indian cultural dancing isn’t just an act, it’s an art form, communication junior Sarah Wahab says.
“Every part of your body has to move a specific way to convey a specific message,” said Wahab, a programmer for Asian Pacific American Student Organization. “All the music is Indian and the words are in Hindi, so to convey that to an American audience, you have to use body and facial expressions because people may not understand the language.”
Many words and ideas were expressed to a crowd of more than 2,000 through several dances and songs performed at Satrang on Saturday night in the Wharton Center’s Great Hall.
The show is a celebration of Indian culture, presented annually by the Council of Indian Undergraduate Students, and is part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The name “Satrang” translates into the seven colors of the rainbow - each one representing different emotions, such as passion, envy and sadness.
Sonul Vaghela, one of three coordinators for the show, said Satrang plays an important role locally.
“The main goal is to make the Michigan State community as well as the Lansing community aware of our culture,” the elementary education senior said. “And it also helps us to preserve our culture within ourselves so something brings it out in us and helps us to remember.”
Dressed in colorful and ornate fashions, more than 170 people participated in performances ranging from classical Indian and bhangra dancing to break dancing and a fashion show.
One performance added an Indian perspective to “West Side Story” by using cultural dancing and including a martial arts battle scene.
In another act, Debonair n’ Po P, a student duo performed a rap act while a group of more than 10 women performed a hip-hop dance as “The Fly Girls.”
Mike Kueh, one of the event’s coordinators, said students spent nearly five months preparing for Satrang - three of those months were dedicated to dance practices.
Saturday’s show was well worth the effort, he said.
“I think the work paid off,” the telecommunication senior said. “We’ve never had such a large turnout or such a large production.”
And now that this year’s show is over, Kueh said he and others who participated in Satrang can finally get some much-needed rest.
“I feel a sense of relief and I also feel like something’s missing,” he said. “I’ve stayed up really late these past two weeks putting stuff together for the show and I actually didn’t sleep at all the night before the show. Now I’m just used to being super busy and always having something to do.”
Sheena Harrison can be reached at harri188@msu.edu.
