The dancers twisted their arms intricately in front of their bodies before they moved into a rapid sequence of shoulder shrugs and fancy footwork. The costumes were a sleek, modern contrast of black and white, the music was upbeat, and the style was Punjabi pop, a modern wave of music in India.

The energetic dance was performed by a coed group of students Saturday night as part of Satrang 2004. The annual show was sponsored by the Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students.

Psychology freshman Vishal Desai, a member of one of the dance groups, described Punjabi pop as a "cultural dance that incorporates American beats."

"As an Indian living in America, you still want to keep the culture going," he said.

Part of the goal of the Satrang performance this year was to integrate Indian and American cultures of the students at MSU, program coordinator Paras Doshi said.

"We are second-generation," he said. "We haven't forgotten our culture, but part of this American culture has been incorporated into our life, too."

Doshi said this year's performance cost almost $50,000, including the costumes, facility rental and lighting. Sponsors included local businesses and campus groups. The largest amount of money, $9,000, came from ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government. Ticket sales from nonstudents also helped offset the cost.

Last year, more than 3,000 people attended the event. This year, the ground floor and the two levels of the arena facing the large curtained stage were filled with audience members cheering and clapping. Doshi estimated that about 300 more people attended this year's show.

The show combined acts from various dancing styles within India. The show's theme, "Andaaz Apna Apna," means "Our own style."

"This year, we're trying to show every culture has their own style, but in the end, you come together as one, as Indian." Doshi said.

One of the groups performed Bharat Natyam - a South Indian dancing style originally used to show devotion to the Hindu gods.

The eight female dancers were dressed in red and gold and wore thick rows of bells around their ankles.

The bells accentuate the foot movements, dancer and accounting junior Rutvee Desai said. "It's a classical dance, kind of like ballet."

The ankle bells jingled with the beat as the women rocked from their heels to their toes during the performance.

They mimicked prayers with their hands and twirled in unison.

All of the 165 dancers who performed are members of the Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students, said program coordinator Komal Patel, adding that members pay $5 a year in dues to the group or $10 if they want a T-shirt. There are more than 250 students in the group.

"We try and expand the show every year," Patel said, adding that this is the second year the performance has been held at Breslin Center.

The first Satrang was held about 20 years ago in the McDonel Hall Kiva, she said.

"Dance is a huge part of any culture," Patel said. "It's a great way to express their past and their uniqueness."

Though the Satrang planning group members included American influences, Patel said it tried to keep the show fairly traditional in order to display India's language and customs. The songs were contemporary, but few included any English words.

"It's definitely a way we feel we can express Indian culture but also show some modern aspects of India," Patel said.

Elizabeth Piet can be reached at pieteliz@msu.edu.