Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Road to Rangila: Preparations Near Finish

As the clock tower above Healy Hall struck 6 p.m. on Thursday, dancers, choreographers and members of Georgetown’s South Asian Society noisily assembled in Gaston Hall for the first and only dress rehearsal for Rangila 2010.

Scattered around the auditorium were 11 groups of 20 to 30 dancers and their choreographers, each in sets of matching costumes, testing out their new performance attire for the first time – except for about one-third of dancers, noticeably out of place in street clothes.

“Some of our costumes are coming in tonight. The girl who we ordered our costumes from is coming in from Jersey, and we’re going to get them at 9 p.m.,” Eibee Bautista (COL ’11), a coordinator and SAS board member, said, seeming confident that the dancers would be fully prepared by the second run-through.

Sign-ups for the 16th annual show took place in early September, but for some, preparations began long before.

“My friend and I have been planning this dance since summer, before we even got asked to be choreographers,” said Monique Morris (COL ’13), the choreographer for the Girls’ Dance.

Now in her second year as a Rangila participant, Morris said she noticed a change in the tone of SAS and participants in the show. “I think we’re all a lot more serious about it this year,” Morris said. “We are all really excited about [the show], and want to make sure it’s the best it can be.”

Rangila 2010: Happily Ever After takes over 410 dancers, 30 choreographers, two coordinators and 11 SAS board members, according to Outreach Chair Morial Shah (SFS ’13), and Marketing Chair Suhayl Chettih (COL ’13) of the South Asian Society. In 2007, the club claimed more than 200 participants, signaling a doubled participation rate over the past three years. “This year’s Rangila is the biggest so far,” Chettih said.

Bautista, who is a coordinator along with Arnab Sarker (COL ’12), spoke about the necessary preparations and increased coordination for this year’s event, as well as cooperation from the university and other student groups.

“[The Student Activities Commission] has been a lot nicer to us – they’ve given us additional practice space, such as Bulldog Alley,” she said. “That was really helpful, since we don’t want to disturb classes in the Intercultural Center.”

The long hours spent in rehearsal come to fruition in front of a sold-out Gaston Hall audience. Each year, Rangila sells over 1,400 tickets to its two performances. While it may seem a daunting tradition to continue, Chettih said that his job is one of the easiest on the board.

“Marketing for Rangila is one of the easiest things there is,” Chettih said. “Everyone on campus knows about it. We try to help it build, but it really almost just builds itself.”

Social and Cultural Chair Mack Abbot (COL ’11) said that the social aspects, as well as the charitable cause it aids, helps draw audiences and members alike. “If you’re going to do [a cultural show], you might as well do the one that’s sort of the biggest and, in my humble opinion, the best on campus,” he said.

Rangila’s widespread popularity on campus is no secret. However, not everyone is aware of the aid it brings to people who are not directly members of the Georgetown community. According to Shah, “the show generates over $25,000 in revenue every year.” All proceeds go to the Asha Kendra Hope Center, which, “is a career counseling, vocational training, and educational resource center for rural young adults in Jaipur, India, exclusively funded by the Georgetown University South Asian Society,” Shah said.

Young adults closer to the Hilltop enjoy the show as well.

“Lining up to see everyone buy tickets is one of the most rewarding experiences as a choreographer,” Raas choreographer Aanika Patel (SFS ’13) said.

“Something that’s great about Rangila, and great about Georgetown itself,” Chettih said, “[is that] certainly more than half of the dancers are not South Asian.”

Shuo Yan Tan (SFS ’12) is among them.

“The people who participate in Rangila are extremely diverse, and more than half of the dancers are not South Asian and have differing levels of abilities – I myself am Chinese Singaporean and had zero dance experience before doing Rangila for the first time,” he said.

SAS President Sagam Soi (MSB ’11) stressed the importance of the show to the Georgetown community.

“There aren’t a lot of South Asians on campus. They’re not in the majority at all. But because of the show, people know about the South Asian Society.”

This year’s theme, Happily Ever After, is inspired by the atmosphere of a typical South Asian wedding, which, Soi said, embodies the spirit of Rangila and a part of South Asian culture that SAS has not highlighted in the past.

“We really get to share our culture with a lot of different people around campus,” Soi said. “This year, we invited a lot of diplomats who want to see what Georgetown students can do.” Some of the invited diplomats include ambassadors from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Rangila features two new dances this year – Bolly Groove and Bengali – which help to diversify the show’s content and keep audiences interested.

“The show evolves and changes – you never know what you’re going to see,” said Richael O’Hagan (NHS ’13), who decided to join as a performer in the Classical Fusion dance after seeing last year’s show.

Bolly Groove, a dance that brings together Groove Theory’s hip-hop moves and vibrant Bollywood style, seeks to integrate two of the most well-received dance styles at Georgetown.

“The dance is intricate, and required a lot of practice – we practiced until 1 a.m. every week,” dancer Jackie Stone (COL ’12) said.

Though all 11 dances bring something unique to the show, dancers, choreographers and coordinators alike agreed on the must-see dance of the evening.

“My favorite part of the show is seeing Senior Bhangra, and then everyone – the whole of Rangila – coming on stage, and you see 400 people enjoying themselves, dancing with the audience laughing and cheering at them,” Soi said. “I think that’s the best part of the show.”

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