The show started with a lot of humor and ended with plenty of flair.

On Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1, the Indian Asian Student Association (SANGAM) of Saint Louis University treated audiences to a night of spectacular dance and offbeat humor with its fourth annual cultural show, this year titled SLUvivor: India. The show, held in the Xavier Theatre, was packed Friday night and sold out Saturday.

“It was a challenge to compete with Mardi Gras weekend, but I think we fared well,” said Ankur Shah, president of SANGAM.

SLUvivor: India was a comical skit and game show in which students competed for acceptance to medical school. The two-act show kicked off with the American and Indian national anthems sung by seniors Michelle Ofreneo and Anoop Vermani, respectively, followed by a dance medley fusing Indian and American music.

In between game-show scenes, SANGAM members and other participants displayed traditional wear in two fashion shows. They also performed dances merging traditional and mainstream styles choreographed by the members themselves, ranging from bhangra to hip-hop. These intricate and dynamic dances represented the different facets and regions of India.

Shah said the audience response was overwhelmingly positive, with a lot of them leaving the show in awe.

“When people come to the show for the first time, they never know what to expect,” he said. “But when they walk out of the show, they are always happy and have learned something about our culture.”

“I feel that more cultural background information could’ve been integrated into the program itself,” said Matthew Hyde, a freshman. “But the show was really good and all the people did a good job.”

SANGAM hosts its show every year to promote awareness of South Asian culture to the SLU community.