Lights, music, dancing, smiles and fun accurately describe the atmosphere in the McKenny Ballroom during the Bollywood Dance Night on Friday. The event was LBC approved and a conclusion to the International Week events.
The event was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Indian Student Association helped to sponsor the event. Gilda Hall, a biology pre-med student, said the event was lively and she was excited to be there.
“I like that we are able to be immersed in other cultures tonight,” Gilda Hall said.
Himaja Ramayanam, the president of the Indian Student Association and criminology major, said that they decided to host the event at a different time than usual so it would be part of International Week. The Indian Student Association has a long standing presence at the Eastern Michigan University.
In regards to the overall week’s celebrations, Ramayanam said, “It’s a really good experience. We change it up every year and it’s always unique.”
Traditionally it is called the “Garba Night,” named for a traditional Indian dance. The Indian Student Association decided to make this year’s dance event more general so more people could join in and be interested.
Ariel Robinson, a senior majoring in Spanish K-12, came to the event because she thought “Bollywood dance always seemed really interesting.” She also expressed her belief that learning about other cultures is really important.
As they started the music up and began dancing, nearly everyone took to the middle of the dance floor to join, as the atmosphere in the room became joyous and contagious as more people joined in.
Freshman Brandon Dulock, a meteorology major, attended the event because it was a good chance for LBC credit and he wanted to experience different cultural backgrounds. He said overall, the event was a lot of fun.
A wide range of people came to support and enjoy the event. EMU President Susan Martin was in attendance to show her support for the Indian Student Association.
There were also other faculty members and students making up the crowd filling the room. Many international students and those in the world language department were also present enjoying sharing the cultural experience together.
Professor Naomi Palossari, the international project manager who was deeply involved in the overall events of International Week, was present and said she felt the event was “quite successful.”
“[I’m] glad it was able to be done as part of International Week and a great cap off for the International Week events,” she said.
