The Indian Student Association’s Spring Show, slated for Saturday, April 6, hopes to relate to the entire student body with a set of culture-blending performances.
The title of the show is “Paheli: The Mumbaby Snatchers,” which is a theme inspired by the skits interspersed throughout the night’s performances. ISA President Shawn Damodharan said ‘paheli’is the Hindi word for ‘folk-tale mystery,’ and ‘Mumbaby’ is a play-on-words for the city of Mumbai, India.
The skits, which have been in development since December by the show, will tell the comical story of The Mumbaby Snatchers gang.
There will be 11 acts in total, including singing, dancing and comedic acts. Astha, an a cappella will make an appearance, as well as two competitive Indian dance teams and an exhibition performance by Elevation, SLU’s Irish Dance team.
“We like the cultural aspect of [the show],” Damodharan said on why they chose to ask Elevation to perform. “It’s a new type of dance that other people haven’t seen.”
In addition to inviting Elevation, the ISA has attempted to create a more modern and diversified feel to their acts. Damodharan said he felt there was a common misconception about the spring show in that a lot of people think it’s going to be filled with classical Indian dancing.
“To be honest, it’s really not that,” Damodharan said. “It’s a bunch of fusion dances and a bunch of American music mixed with Indian music, there’s a lot of hip-hoppy type moves.”
“I think a lot of people will be surprised if they take the chance and opportunity to come see the show,” Damodharan said.
Organizers decided to move the show to Harris-Stowe State University’s Henry Givens Jr. Auditorium in order to provide more space for people to attend. Historically the spring show was held in Xavier, but ISA is hoping to see upwards of 400 to 500 people.
“Previous year’s attendees always rave about the show because it is one of the biggest productions on campus,” Priya Thumma, an ISA board member, said, “and we have more and more attendees every single year.”
A good number of the performances will simply feature members of the ISA, as opposed to official dance groups. Choreographers and writers alike volunteered their time to develop full routines and train participants.
“Our whole show is pretty much a voluntary basis.” Damodharan said. “I think it’s upwards of 130, 140 people involved.”
Historically, the majority of attendees have been students, and the show is directed toward a younger audience.
“The main reason we really put on these shows are students,” Damodharan said. “We want people to understand Indian culture a little bit better.”
Tickets are being sold for eight dollars throughout the day in the BSC and will be available the day of the show, barring a sell-out.