The silhouettes of two women on linen screens are all that is visible on the darkened stage. The dancers shift to a lively drum beat until they emerge from behind the screens, their bodies speckled with glow-in-the-dark paint. The traditional percussion and sitar change to techno, and the dancers seize burning sticks of incense and fuse traditional South Asian dance with the more abandoned moves of a raver.
The seamless blend of traditional, modern and global influences on South Asian arts in this “Candleless Dance,” choreographed and performed by Karnika Bhalla (CAS ‘04) and Geeta Kotak (CAS ‘04), raises an interesting question: What is Rangila? In a show whose reason for being is to share South Asian culture with Georgetown, one has to wonder where techno, rock and hip-hop fit in. At what point does Rangila stop being a forum for cultural exchange and become instead an outlet for South Asian American performance artists, or indeed, artists of any ethnicity?
South Asian Society President Vinoda Basnayake (MSB ‘03) thanked Rangila alumni for encouraging the promotion of South Asian culture at Georgetown, yet the acts themselves seemed to be more eclectic in nature than this shout-out would imply. For instance, performances by groups such as Groove Theory and Third World Harlem, a multiethnic hip-hop squad, seemed only loosely grounded in South Asian culture. Groove Theory may have set its hip-hop dance to traditional music, but the majority of the group’s members are not South Asian. Similarly, while several Third World Harlem members are South Asian, the act itself seemed to incorporate only a hint of traditional culture.
Some of the acts, such as “One Ladki Ko Dekha,” took a stab at merging the traditional with the modern. The first half of Somil Trivedi’s (CAS ‘04) musical performance captured this dichotomy by blending Indian lyrics with electric guitar and African percussion. This happy union was lost in the latter half of the act, however, when it regressed into a lackluster rendition of U2’s “One.”
A more successful synthesis was offered by “Sur Aur Taal,” an exciting and tightly executed duet choreographed and performed by Rahul Chatlani (MSB ‘04) and Arathi Subramanian (MSB ‘04). Here, both the music and dancing incorporated modern and Western elements without losing their distinctively South Asian character. The first performance of the festive Punjabi bhangra, choreographed by Mansi Shah (NUR ‘04), Sheila Sahni (NUR ‘06) and Andrea Wu (CAS ‘04), also located South Asian dance in a modern context by using updated renditions of traditional bhangra music.
Perhaps Rangila coordinators Bhalla and Ramya Murali (SFS ‘03) were being progressive when they chose to incorporate a wider range of acts, but does a rapping South Asian student promote his own culture, or is he just another act in a South Asian talent show? Murali herself noted that it seemed almost gratuitous to continue the tradition of the Friends of SAS dance?in which non-South Asian friends of Rangila dancers are invited to perform the bhangra?since an increasing number of non-South Asians were already performing in the regular acts. Non-South Asians were speckled among the dancers of both the more traditional and the more contemporary acts, illustrating the diversity of the individuals attracted to both participating in and attending the event. With this goal achieved, one has to wonder whether performances by Harmony and Groove Theory in this four-hour long extravaganza are superfluous, since the regular show seems to have been opened-up to include outside acts.
Despite these contradictions, Rangila is still one hell of a show. The intricate choreography and skilled execution of all the dances are an opulent visual feast. And while the inclusion of performances by Third World Harlem and Groove Theory may add to the variety of the program, even the most enthusiastic Rangila-holic is left at a loss for words when someone asks, “So what is Rangila?”
