Northwestern Anubhav 2016-2017 Show

Who are we?

Northwestern Anubhav is NU’s premier competitive Hindi Film & Fusion Dance Team. Our team was founded in 2008 by choreographers from both Stanford Dil Se and Northwestern Raas. Since then, Anubhav has placed in 25 competitions across the nation. This includes national titles in 2014 and 2016, when we won the 5th and 7th annual Bollywood America Filmi-Fusion Dance Championships.

Since 2014, Anubhav has used dance to portray storylines that showcase South Asian American history, identity, and culture while also shedding light on the complexities of the second-generation Indian American experience. We fuse a variety of traditional, folk, and classical dance forms with modern styles, such as contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, and Bollywood. Together, these styles represent the diverse cultural, social, and dance backgrounds of our company members.

What is our project?

This year, we plan to choreograph and execute a production that includes not only professional-quality dance choreography, but also culturally representative costumes; a student-filmed introductory video; and, most importantly, a powerful story that impacts the whole Northwestern community.

Anubhav sets our dances to storylines that showcase South Asian American history, identity, and culture on college campuses.  Each storyline or "theme" is comprehensively explored, thoughtfully developed, and based in empirical, ethnographic research conducted at the start of the season. We have transcended the traditional "Bollywood" framework and aim to create industry-standard, memorable, and visually-breathtaking dance productions, each incomplete without a presentation of raw human emotion.

As a result, the impact of these stories are not limited to South Asian American students; rather, they shed light on the complexities of all second-generation American experiences and ultimately touch upon the lives of all college students. This year, we will perform at universities throughout the United States to tell our story, spread awareness and appreciation for Asian American culture, and bring pride and recognition to the Northwestern name.  Most importantly, we also perform frequently on campus, including several free shows that we will host during Winter Quarter. These shows are open to the entire Northwestern community, and we hope that through these performances, we can help bring diversity and fresh perspectives to Northwestern.

What is our goal?

Our goal is to raise $5,000. This money will be used to purchase the backdrops, props, lighting, a professional soundtrack, and elaborate costumes, which are shipped in from around the globe.