Cornered by automobiles, engulfed by the musty air of exhaust
fumes and the occasional obstacle of traversing around oil puddles,
the UCLA Raas team continues to practice past midnight on the top
floor of the Sunset Recreation parking lot.
It’s frigid and windy. Normally, temperatures descend into
the low 40s. But it’s just another practice for the Raas
team.
Raas, a Garba dance tradition from the city of Gujarat in India,
is a celebration of the romance between two gods: goddess Radha and
god Krishna.
Raas is a colorful dance that involves spinning of wooden sticks
called dandiyas, to symbolize love. It is performed for nine
consecutive days in October during Nacratri, a festival of
celebration.
Since the beginning of the quarter, 16 students have congregated
together to celebrate the Gujarati culture and the spirit of
competition.
“Raas is an important part of my culture, and being
exposed to Raas it seemed like a really fun way to partake in my
culture and to meet new people and be competitive as well,”
first-year student Rikin Tank said.
Walking to and from their cars, bystanders often pause and peer
over. Passing students stare as members of the Raas team pirouette
through the air, swinging their arms and moving in figure-8s in
unison.
The crackling sounds of dandiyas smacking against one another
and tapping the concrete floor of parking lots make drivers proceed
with caution.
More often, those passing just stare blankly. Other times, they
ask what exactly the team is doing.
“I’ve been asked countless times,” said Pinita
Shah, a fourth-year psychology student. “It’s more
curiosity. People stop to watch and ask, “˜So, what is
this?'”
Being a part of the Raas team is not only about the celebration
of the Gujarati culture. It’s also about competing, and that
is what brought many fresh dancers to the team.
“I saw the shows in previous years, and I thought it would
be a fun way to incorporate culture with competition,” said
third-year physiological science student Leena Patel.
That competitive drive may be what keeps members motivated to
practice.
Before the winter quarter began, the Raas team had two
three-hour practices every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in hopes of
winning its third championship in four years.
On Feb. 11, nine other university teams, including Stanford,
Berkeley and the University of Michigan, will compete in the fourth
annual Garba with Attitude competition in Irvine.
However, there is a distinct different from the traditional
Raas-Garba dance and the one the UCLA Raas team performs.
Team choreographers Neera Adatia and Arjun Patel, along with
co-choreographer Shah, fuse a sprinkle of hip-hop and modern dance
to the traditional form.
Each routine lasts about seven minutes and includes a hodgepodge
of simultaneous arm swings, leg raises, sidestepping, skipping and
hopping, spinning, and intricate formations, all to the beat of
traditional Gujarati music.
At the competition, each team’s routine will be judged on
creativity, artistic nature, conformity and stunts, such as dips
and flipping the women over the backs of the men.
“Raas is a traditional folk dance, but we bring a Western
and more complex formation to our routine,” said Arjun Patel,
a third-year biochemistry student. “It’s a lot more
interaction with the opposite sex, and more update than
traditionally conveyed.”
For some members, being a part of the Raas team revitalizes
their culture.
“I’ve been going to Raas-Garbas all my life,”
said third-year engineering student Vipul Sampat. “I thought
I’d give myself an opportunity here at UCLA to explore more
about my culture. And when I heard about the Raas team, I thought,
“˜Why not give myself a shot?'”
As the members weave in and out to the Gujarati music, the
pitter-patter of dandiyas can be heard. Some of the dandiyas have
slipped out of members’ hands, yet they carry on and twirl
their hands as if nothing has happened.
Team members bump into each other and the synchronization is
off, but the routine continues. Members of the team are still
learning.
Staving off the balmy temperature to practice in parking lots
doesn’t deter them. Shah said as long as she can remember,
former Raas teams have done the same. It’s become a
tradition.
“You have to get it done somewhere,” Arjun Patel
said. “I think it’s one of the best places. When you
start jumping around and hitting dandiyas and carrying your
partners, you forget all about that.”
For more information and tickets to the Feb. 11 competition,
go to garbawithattitude.com.