Culture Fest performers use Bollywood fusion dance to cope and thrive during the pandemic

Andaaz at ASU is Arizona’s only official competitive Bollywood fusion dance team, and they took their moves and passion to Culture Fest to virtually perform during Welcome Week and hold a Q&A.

Amid the challenges of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the members of Andaaz, Arizona’s only official competitive Bollywood fusion dance team, believe that now is the time when their fellow Sun Devils can benefit from art and expression the most. 

Andaaz presented a compilation of their past dances from this season at Sun Devil Welcome on Aug. 18 and 21, touching on an array of styles including Bollywood, Hip Hop, Bhangra and Kuthu. Their performance was just one of a wide range of Culture Fest offerings. 

The Andaaz club of Arizona State University

Bollywood, the heart of Andaaz’s artistic style, is a beautiful blend of all Indian dance styles and music, including classical Indian dance, folk Indian dance and the more contemporary R&B and hip hop music.

Andaaz co-captain Keerthi Harikrishnan said joining the high-energy dance team has helped her grow as a dancer personally and professionally, and it helps her manage her stress, especially right now. 

“Art is my form of relaxing and releasing any stress,”Harikrishnan said, a senior business management and digital marketing major, also minoring in communications. “Life without the arts is like a painting with no paint; it’s just bland,” she said.

Ajay Buch, a second-year student at ASU studying kinesiology, said that he got involved with dance and performing and connected with Andaaz through Culture Fest and Fall Welcome last year. 

Buch is currently the choreographer for Andaaz.

“I feel that dance is a way of expression, and with all the uncertainty in the world it’s good to know you can come back to something that you can fully dive yourself into without any fear,” he said.

Kayva Jha, a third-year biomedical sciences major and the fundraising manager for Andaaz, said she continued to explore her creative interests during what was a strange summer by managing a dance company called Bollywood Dance Central. Through her summer dance company, Jha taught a variety of dance classes for budding dancers ages 3 and up, including semi classical and contemporary dance.

Jha says that dance and creativity keeps her going and connected. 

“From the dance company I manage, the most magical aspect of it is how much more connected I felt with people once we all showed up for class. We talk and laugh on these calls, and I started these classes for my family friends — so initially it felt like a huge reunion after so much time with social distancing. And of course, you need to keep engaging in where your passion lies. Mine lies in dance, and I can confidently say this has been the most busy and creative time of my life. No time for boredom!”

Maya Bahl, a second-year business health care major and co-captain of Andaaz, says that during the pandemic she has used dance to stay creative and experiment with new styles and choreograph new pieces. 

“I never really get the time during the school year to let my creativity flow and to just strengthen my overall skill, so this was the perfect time for me to do so.”

Bahl says that performative art and creativity are so important, especially right now, because of the ways in which you are able to express your emotions.

“Being trapped inside can cause people to bundle their feelings, but having some form of a creative outlet can help alleviate some stresses and bring peace and joy to others!”

If you’d like to catch what’s coming up at Culture Fest, visit the ASU Welcome events list. You can also learn more about Andaaz and how to get involved on their Facebook page.