Nachte Raho returns to UI

Corey Simmons, [email protected]

March 4, 2016

Dancers of the group Bhangra from the University of Illinois-Chicago perform during Nachte Raho in the IMU Main Lounge on Saturday, March 1, 2014. Nachte Raho is an Indian dance competition in which teams from around the country compete for prize money. This is the 12th year that Iowa has hosted the event. (The Daily Iowan/Rachael Westergard)

One of the biggest college dance competitions will come to town this weekend.

Nachte Raho, hosted by the University of Iowa Indian Student Alliance, will be held on March 5 in the IMU Main Lounge. Last year, Nachte Raho broke previous attendance records; 800 people attended, a sellout.

“This is a great way for us to represent the Indian community here at the University of Iowa,” Neal Patel said, a former UI student and the vice president of communications for Indian Student Alliance.

Nine teams will compete at Nachte Raho this year, and each will earn points given by three judges for the event. The winner of the competition at the UI will earn $5,000.

While Patel is on the Nachte Raho board, he is one of the 30 volunteers who help run the event.

“We are consistently refining and improving the event, trying to make it more desirable and fun for the people that attend,” he said.

The winner will also receive a bid to the national event of Bollywood America in Cleveland. As opposed to previous years, Nachte Raho will feature one style of dancing — Bollywood Fusion.

“We hope the teams that compete can earn enough points to get a bid to Bollywood America,” Patel said.

UI sophomore Sneha Madhavaram, the chairwoman of the event, said the organization’s goal is to sell out once again.

“The quality of our shows are rapidly increasing and with bigger audiences, we really want to introduce South Asian culture and represent the Indian community in the process,” she said.

Because Nachte Raho will be recognized on a national level, the event is bringing in college teams from across the nation to compete in the show for the first time.

“I guarantee the audience will not leave disappointed in the slightest bit,” Madhavaram said.

UI sophomore Rhidhi Jani said last-minute preparations have been stressful.

“This is so important because we are inviting them to our city, and the kind of atmosphere we present is going to represent us and our college,” she said.

Jani said she is also expecting a big turnout and a new level of competition will be introduced because of Nachte Raho’s newfound national recognition.