SMU student Bhavyang Mehta, left, and UT Dallas student Nasreen Arastu team up to perform on stage Saturday evening for the SMU Indian Student Association’s 31st annual Diwali Show. (REBECCA HANNA/ The Daily Campus)

Song and dance resonated through the Hughes–Trigg Student Center Theater during celebrations marking the 31st annual Diwali Show Saturday night. The full-house event saw the audience respond with enthusiasm throughout the night.

Diwali, popularly known as the “Festival of Lights,” is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated by families through performing traditional activities together in their homes. Diwali is an official holiday in several Asian countries.

National anthems from four countries ushered in the spirit of unity at the beginning of the event. Sana Merchant, president of Indian Students Association (ISA), said the occasion helped bring together Indian and South Asian cultures. “Today’s successful show is not just the work of the eight officials, but included a lot of people who worked together,” Merchant said.

“Girls from SMU” got the festival rolling with a dance of lights in semi-darkness.   On the dimly-lit stage, the seemingly invisible dancers moved their hands, giving the impression of lights dancing to the music on their own in space.

A colorful fashion show featuring costumes from Asia brought the event to a close.

“The theme of the fashion show signified peace and love among people from different countries in the South Asian sub-continent,” Sidra Anees, the show’s coordinator, said.

Red, green and orange colors represented Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, respectively.