SMU Program Council’s Asian Cultural Committee will host the second annual Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz intercollegiate competition.
The Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz show is a untraditional contest. Teams will compete in performing traditional Indian dances fused to electronic beats, modern rap music and hip-hop. The colorful lighting and vibrant costumes combined with the underlying traditional Indian dance will provide an energized performance, organizers say.
According to a press release, The Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz competition has gained national attention because of the tremendous popularity of modern Bhangra music among both European and Indian youth. Bhangra music, blended with hip-hop and electronic music, is popular in India and Europe.
In North America, Punjabi MC’s Bhangra hip-hop hit “Mundian To Bach Ke,” appeared on MTV and Billboard charts in the United States and Canada and was later remixed by the rapper Jay-Z.
Competition chair Krishna Parmar commended SMU’s team on its long hours of practice and dedication. She urged all SMU students to show their support by attending the competition.
Parmar said, “My goal as director of this competition is to bring people from around the community, and around the nation, to see the talents and creativity the teams can bring to this competiton.
“Teams are flying in from all around the nation to attend and demonstrate their hard work,” she added. “This is not only a competition, but a way to spread our traditional Indian culture.”
In The Raas/Garba competition, SMU’s team, The Stix, will compete against teams from the University of Texas and Johns Hopkins University for a $2,000 grand prize. In the Bhangra competition, teams from the University of Texas, University of Miami, University of Michigan, Stanford University and Emory University will also compete for a $2,000 prize.
Stix co-captain Rajiv Parmar expressed his teams excitement about the approaching competition.
“This is our first chance to show the nation what we’ve got. It is the first time that we will be exposed to a national circuit of competing teams,” he said.
“Teams from across the nation will be there to see and judge us so we want to start with a good reputation, and come out strong. Plus we are the home team so we have to represent,” he added.
The Raas Rave and Bhangra Blitz competition is Saturday from 7 – 10 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium. Tickets may be purchased online at meraticket.com or at SMU’s Mane Desk. Tickets are $10 before the show or $15 at the door.