Eight collegiate Bollywood dance teams will perform at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3, in the IU Auditorium as they compete in the second annual Bloomington Ki Badtameezi, or BKB. The BKB is partnering with the IMU Union Board and IU Office of International Studies to celebrate South Asian culture in Bloomington through the collegiate Bollywood dance competition.
In 2023, BKB co-founder Rahul Guhan said in an interview with the IDS the goals of the competition were to provide a genuine presentation of Indian dance while reminding Indians to be proud of their heritage.
The University of Maryland Manzar, University of Arkansas Atrangi, Virginia Commonwealth University Ishaara, Purdue University Chaiyya, Georgetown University Guzaarish, Philadelphia’s Philly Maza, University of Michigan Taal and University of North Carolina Ishaare dance teams will visit Bloomington for the competition. Each team will perform an eight-to-10-minute routine which consists of different songs, styles of Bollywood fusion dance and dialogue following a storyline throughout the performance.
The BKB team spends the year planning the competition weekend which includes holding fundraisers and arranging sponsorships. The 2024 BKB competition is sponsored by the IU Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, IU Funding Board, IMU Union Board, Qdoba, Baked!, Pizza X and Domino's Pizza.
The directors for the 2023-2024 competition are juniors Amisha Jain, Nidhi Marpadga and IU alumnus Vedant Kar.
Tickets can be purchased on the IU Auditorium website, starting at $5 for students and $12 for the general public. Prices will increase by $5-7 for students and $10-15 for the general public on the day of the show, according to IU Auditorium staff.
