A week ago, Tufts students were globetrotting at Cohen Auditorium through the songs and dances of the I-Club's Parade of Nations. Tonight and tomorrow night at Cohen, the destination is more specific: South Asia, and the Tufts Association of South Asians are taking you there. However limited your Hindi or Urdu is, you'll still enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of this South Asian cultural extravaganza.
This year's TASA culture show is called AWAAZ, which translates to 'voices' or 'noises' in the Hindi and Urdu languages.
"We chose this theme to encompass the many artistic styles of students here at Tufts - with a South Asian twist," says co-director Apurvi Mehta, one of five sophomore directors of the culture show this year in cooperation with Tanmay Gosalia, Ronak Parikh, Shikha Gupta and Meghna Shah.
"What makes our culture show more unique than past years' shows is that we've tried to integrate many different dance styles, such as traditional bhangra, hip-hop, and a traditional wedding qawaali in addition to the Bhangra, Garba and 'girly' dances that the audience may have previously seen. We've also added a different artistic flavor by incorporating poetry readings from SALAAM, the South Asian Literary and Art Magazine, as well as singing, instead of only dancing," said co-director Gupta.
The clothing is a reason in itself to see the culture show. Models of the fashion show display both soft and bright colored saris and other traditional Indian garb. The attire is stunning throughout and particularly so in the dance performances. To make the fashion show even more interesting, students have incorporated a dramatic component, with two models engaging in a love quarrel on stage.
One of the many highlights of AWAAZ is the performance of the Tufts' Bhangra and Garba teams. Bhangra and Garba are both traditional Indian dances originating from different regions of the subcontinent. The Bhangra team uses sharp movements and has a magnetic energy as they perform in their bright red costumes, while the Garba team demonstrates the same energy with slower and more graceful dance steps in chartreuse and green colors.
Paven Aujla, senior and former co-director of the TASA culture show, is performing in the senior dance as well as reading a poem from SALAAM, for which she co-edits. Aujla said her co-directing experience was "rewarding" and said of her involvement in the show: "...it allows me to connect and interact with my culture in a very hands-on way. It's also a lot of fun, and being a participant is a great way to meet new people."
Being a TASA cultural show participant is by no means reserved for students of South Asian decent. Rachel Young, a senior and Jamaican by heritage is performing in the senior dance of AWAAZ. Young was encouraged by one of her friends to do the dance and agreed because of the good impression previous culture shows have made on her.
"I feel completely welcomed as a non-Asian. There are many non-Asians in the show, and from day one everyone feels welcome regardless of race/ethnicity," Young said.
On top of entertainment this year, the cultural experience will include food. Samosas will be sold during the show's intermission, and the money made from food sales and show tickets will be donated to the American Red Cross to help with the tsunami relief fund.
"Since many members of the Tufts Community have been involved in relief efforts for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster, we felt that we should do our part as well," co-director Shah said.
With a wide range of content, including song, dance, poetry, and fashion, there is sure to be something for everyone at this year's culture show.
