A Garba-Raas Dance Explosion

A traditional Indian dance competition incorporates colorful costumes, energetic moves

| From BU Today | By Robin Berghaus

In the video above, members of BU Fatakada practice Garba-Raas, a traditional dance style from the Indian state of Gujarat, for the February 6 Garbafest.

Sophomore year, Sneh Shah accompanied a friend who was auditioning for BU Fatakada — meaning “fireworks” in English — a competitive dance team that fuses traditional Indian with modern Western dance styles. Becoming part of the team himself was far from his mind.

“I had no intention of joining,” says Shah (ENG’11), “but it’s probably one of the best things that happened to me at college.”

Shah says that traditional Indian events, such as weddings and Navratri, a Hindu festival in which people dance in the streets for nine consecutive days, “all incorporate a common element: Garba-Raas.”

“I was once the guy who sat in the corner watching all the girls dance, because I was too intimidated,” says Shah. “Now I’m proud to dance Garba-Raas, a tradition my ancestors created.”

A classical style of dance that originated in the Indian state of Gujarat and incorporates colorful costumes and energetic movements, Garba-Raas has traveled across the world.

On February 6, Shah, along with teammates, participated in Garbafest 6, an intercollegiate Garba-Raas dance competition with participants from nine colleges and universities, among them Stanford, the University of Miami, and Tufts.

Fatakada member Radhika Patel (SMG’12) admits she loves winning competitions, but says her main motivation is to give the audience a good time. “A lot can be said for our team name Fatakada,” she adds, “because like fireworks, when we hit the stage, we explode.”