On March 23 and 24, the Indian and Asian Student Association will present its Second Annual Culture Show at 7 p.m. in Xavier Theater. It will feature dances from India and fashion shows of traditional Indian clothes. The fashion shows and dances will be integrated into a humorous skit entitled “Coming to America,” which is about grandparents from India coming to the United States for the first time.
“The goal is for us to educate the SLU community about our culture, make it widespread and clear up any [misunderstandings],” said Mukund Venugopalan, IASA president. Venugopalan added that the show wouldn’t exclusively display Indian culture, and would also be influenced by the traditions of other countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
According to Rubaba Mojid, IASA show chair, dance is an integral part of the Indian tradition.
“Dance is rooted in every aspect of Indian life,” she said. One of the dances that will be performed is the Bhangra, which comes from the Punjab region. It is a lively and upbeat dance and is usually performed at weddings. Another dance that they will perform is the Bharatnatyam, which is one of the most traditional dances in Indian culture.
IASA was partly inspired to put on the show by Indian student groups at other universities.
“Washington University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, UMKC, Boston University-those are just a few of the schools that have made it a tradition to have one big Indian show a year,” said Mojid.
Mojid said that the members of IASA have been working hard on the show since January. He expects that it will be as successful as last year’s sold-out presentation. About 60 students will be participating this year.
Tickets for the show are $7 and will be on sale in the basement of the BMC from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, tomorrow and the week after spring break. IASA is going to donate part of the proceeds from the show to the United Way, which has specific programs to bring relief to the victims of the Jan. 26 earthquake in Gujrat, India.
IASA is open to everyone on campus. Anyone interested in becoming a member should e-mail [email protected].
