Bollywood is known for its films and musical numbers, and the Indian Students Association has brought the Bollywood Dance Club back for its first full year.
The club was formed during Spring Semester last year due to interest, said Vishal Dongare, a master’s student studying mechanical engineering and an executive member of the Indian Students Association (ISA).
“There are many people interested in Bollywood music and want to learn dancing on Bollywood songs, so we decided to come together and create an official Bollywood dance club,” he said.
The Bollywood Dance Club also acts as the cultural resource center for ISA events and helps students learn about different cultures, said Bhakti Shah, executive committee member of the ISA.
“Due to the popularity of Indian culture and Bollywood movies, people are finding it … to their taste and hence want to learn more about it,” she said. “This helps us (ISA) to be better recognized and involve people in our association and its activities.”
The popularity of Bollywood dance is evidenced by popular reality dance shows such as So You Think You Can Dance?, added Sneha Pandya, a doctoral student studying physics.
With the club having a full year to plan dances and practice, Shah said they hope to have performances throughout the year.
“We will be having performances which we will showcase at Diwali 2013,” she said. “And we are hoping for a performance at the International Student Union international dinner as well, if we can put something together.”
The dance club is also a helpful way to relax, Pandya said.
“I am usually so caught up in my studies that Bollywood Dance Club is like a breath of fresh air for me,” she said. “I love dancing, and we had never had anything like this before on campus.”
The best part is that the dances are made easy, and the club is accessible for everyone, Pandya said.
“We start from easy songs to challenging ones once people are confident of their moves,” she said. “And it’s not just the Indians that come, but people from other cultures and countries as well.”
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