Coming next February, the University of Connecticut will be hosting its first Rang De Storrs Garba-Raas competition.
Garba-Raas is a high-energy, traditional Indian dance style, originating in Gujarat, India. Colleges across the nation will be traveling to UConn to compete in this competition and bring their own interpretation of the storytelling, choreography and music, according to the Rang De Storrs directors.
The idea came to be from UConn’s own Raas team after traveling around the country for competitions last year.
“We were inspired by the vibrant energy and cultural pride at each event and knew we wanted to bring that same experience to New England and the UConn community,” said Sidharth Masarur, a sixth-semester student.
The competition directors for Rang De Storrs are Pardhip Nair, Sidharth Masarur, Samveda Menon and Shravani Daptardar. The group met in their freshman year and decided that “hosting a competition to bring an element of our culture to the greater UConn and New England community would be the perfect way to complement our love for dance,” according to Menon, a sixth-semester student.
Currently, their board has 34 members helping with the planning and logistics for the event.
“We initially faced struggles figuring out how to get started as a new competition, but we were able to find the proper guidance and right resources to start finding successful methods towards building more sustainability,” said Shravani Daptardar, a sixth-semester student.
The team said it is still looking for student volunteers to help run the event. Next month, emcee positions will open. In November, applications for team liaisons will be available. Additionally, volunteer positions for the actual event will be available starting in January, all in time for the event to be held on Feb. 8, 2025.
This event will be a place of cultural pride, in which all students are welcome to observe and come together to celebrate South Asian culture through the excitement of Raas-Garba, said the directorial team.
For more information on the event and possible positions available, follow them on Instagram.