Traditional Indian dance met modern hip-hop beats at the CSPAC on Saturday as eight collegiate teams from across the region took the stage for the Maryland Masti 7 dance competition.
The seventh-annual event saw a packed audience of nearly 500 people and showcased the garba and raas folk dance styles, both of which originated from the Gujarat region of India. Teams traveled as far as ten hours to compete for cash prizes and to earn points toward their national rankings, which may qualify them for the Raas All-Stars National Championship in Dallas on March 30.
The Maryland Masti Board began preparations for the competition nearly a year ago last February, and members reviewed almost 30 audition videos before narrowing it down to Saturday’s lineup, according to board director and senior bioengineering major Varisha Parikh. Three dance groups from this university — UMD Entouraas, TerraPind Bhangra and Maryland Dhoom — also performed but did not compete.
Dancers performed in traditional costumes — decorated frocks called kediyu for the men and colorful blouses with long skirts called chaniya choli for the women — but the teams also put a more contemporary spin on their routines by mixing their soundtracks with hip-hop and incorporating creative themes. A judging panel of five raas dancing alumni scored each team based on their performance in a number of categories, including choreography, stage presence and creative dance artistry.
The MSU RaaSparty of Michigan State University took home the first place trophy and four points after performing a Stomp-themed rendition using tie-dye buckets and makeshift aluminum trash can lids.
Other teams were also hits among the judges and audience members alike. With the theme of “Raascar,” a take on NASCAR, members of the Rutgers Raga team from Rutgers University came out with racing stripes painted across their faces, incorporated flags and acted out the motions of a car with the noise of a revving engine in the background. The team took second place in the competition.
“[Placing] felt awesome, we were so happy to win,” said Rutgers Raga member Nisha Shah, who said the team traveled three hours to compete.
Her sister Nipa Shah, a 2010 university alumna and former captain of UMD Entouraas, also came out to show her support.
“I got to see my alma mater dance and I got to see my sister perform so, a win-win,” she said. “Entouraas has been around for seven years, as long as Maryland Masti, and we’re a very close knit family, so we still kind of contribute in helping them out.”
The UMBC Raascals won the viewer’s choice award with their construction-zone-themed performance, where dancers used work signs and orange cones as props.
“I actually landed from India today and I came right here,” said UMBC Raascals alumna Nina Patel. “I’m really proud of them, like we started off really nowhere and now we’re actually placing and holding different competitions worldwide.”
Patel, now a senior biology major at UMBC, helps with props and attends practices.
Another crowd favorite was the UPenn Quakeraas team, which reenacted the animated television series Recess using props such as buckets, soccer balls and a jump rope.
“[Maryland Masti 7] was such a fun experience and we’re going to be back next year for sure,” Shah said.
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