The Boston University India Club [BUIC] will host the fifth annual garba and raas competition, GarbaFest Paanch, at the John Hancock Hall of Back Bay Events Center in Boston. Collegiate dance teams from across the United States will be participating in this competition along with three Boston University teams performing as exhibition acts. Garba and Raas are forms of dance native to the Indian state of Gujarat. In its fifth year of existence, GarbaFest Paanch will serve as a means of enhancing diversity in the Boston region through the expression of this form of Indian cultural dance. There will be a team mixer the night before the competition, February 20th, 2009, at the Hard Rock Café in Boston. Participants and staff will be in attendance.

The nine competing teams will perform a prepared routine in front of a panel of judges in order to vie for prize money for the top three teams. Exhibition teams will perform throughout the program and will not be judged. The competing teams are: Bentley University BizRaas, Case Western Reserve University Raas Goondas, Columbia University Raas, George Washington University Raas, Indiana University Raas, Rutgers University R.A.G.A., Tufts University Raas n’ Beenz, University of Florida GatorRaas, and University of Maryland EntouRAAS. The exhibition teams are: Boston University Bhangra, Boston University Fatakadas, and Boston University Jalwa.

Garba is a devotional dance performed in a circle around either a candle or a picture of a God or Goddess. Garba is followed by Dandiya Raas (Raas). Modern Raas involves lines moving in opposite directions, as well as more complex steps and patterns of hitting sticks. Choreographed Garba and Raas can be much more complicated than the simple patterns performed during the festival of Navratri, and Garba and Raas teams around the country choreograph dances based on Garba and Raas dance.

EVENT INFORMATION
What: BUIC Presents GarbaFest Paanch
Where: John Hancock Hall
When: 6:00 PM, February 21st, 2009 180 Berkeley Street 5:00 PM, Doors Open Boston, MA 02116

TICKET SALES Online: www.desiclub.com
Pricing: $20 Admission Price

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION Founded in 1981, the Boston University India Club is an undergraduate association founded to highlight our presence and to serve the needs of the South Asian population at Boston University. During the year, the India Club organizes meetings, community service events, presentations, social events and cultural shows for the Boston University community to connect themselves with their culture in various forms. Being one of the biggest student organizations on campus, we feel we can work towards linking members of our group with both the BU community and the Boston community. The organization was winner of Club of the Year and Terrier Choice Club of the year at Boston University in the past. Additionally, GarbaFest 2007 was the winner of the Boston University Program of the Year Award.

MORE INFORMATION
www.garbafest.com - GarbaFest Paanch Official Website
www.buic.org - BUIC Official Website

CONTACT INFORMATION
Arun Puttachi
Public Relations Co-Chair
aswam530@gmail.com

or

Nikhil Shah 
Public Relations Co-Chair
Nhshah7@gmail.com

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