ISA hosts annual regional wide talent show

Extraordinary, comical and diverse were only a few words to describe the Indian Student Association’s 32nd annual “Mustang together.”

SMU alumna Anjali Pillai, a former member of ISA’s executive board, also talked about the hard work and dedication that was put into making the show.

“They’ve worked so hard; they just do so much work,” Pillai said.

SMU students, faculty and newcomers proudly stood as the show opened with national anthems from Pakistan, India, as well as the United states.

Canadian YouTube sensation Jasmeet Singh, popularly known as Jus Reign, hosted the program with his comical standup and quickly broke the ice with his personable presence and jokes throughout the show.

“We have a lot of great people out here tonight,” Singh said. “There has been a lot of effort and hard work.”

The talent show featured diverse entertainment that also showcased Indian American culture from several perspectives and styles – Bhangra, folk, Middle Eastern, fusion, Bollywood, as well as cultural and popular music.

Students and family members cheered with encouragement and support throughout the entire show.

Maira Raza, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Arlington, was amazed by the talent shown.

“It was really interesting and diverse,” Raza said. “My favorite team was Blue Flame Gold.”

There were a total of 10 acts, with two exhibition acts from Meenakshi Rajesh and Blue Flame Platinum. Acts performed featured a variety of talent from dance, to solo song and a cappella.

Many of the talent performers practiced and prepared for several months before the show.

“The talent show was amazing,” SMU sophomore Farha Khoja, who performed performance dance with her team, said. “We had a lot of fun, and we worked really hard for this. SMU put on a great show, and we plan to come back next year stronger.”

With yet another successful show, ISA plans to have another incredible talent show next year with more talent and surprises.