As audience members mingled among themselves waiting for the show to start, the lights flashed and exciting music began to play. Three mysterious figures charged down the aisles. When they arrived on the stage, they revealed themselves as the hosts of the show, setting the tone for the rest of the event.
On Feb. 1, Englert Theatre hosted the 14th annual Gathe Raho competition. Gathe Raho is an event presented by the University of Iowa’s Indian Student Alliance. Teams across the nation came to compete and produce unique songs that blend Hindi songs with English classics and American pop.
“Gathe Raho celebrates diverse music and encourages the community to enjoy different styles of music blended,” committee member Akash Pradeep said about the event.
Eight teams came to the Englert to compete, ranging from the UI’s team to the University of California San Diego. The top team in the competition was Dhamakapella from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Dhamakapella was the first team to take the stage, moving into position while it was completely dark. When the first soloist hit their note, the performance began, dancers moving across the stage with emotion and coordination.
Raaga from University of California, Riverside was up next. Their full sound and impressive vocal percussion blended to create a powerful sound. They all stood in a line and moved side by side, intermittently revealing the performers behind them. This created an impressive illusion.
Indiana University’s Humraah came out and set the bar for vocal percussion. Their choreography was impressive as well. At one point, they started to move around the stage frantically and seemingly at random, however, it was ultimately very coordinated and set the mood for the moment.
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Boston University’s Suno was next. This group raised the bar even higher with vocal percussion, accompanied by impressive backing vocals to the soloist. Immediately after, Purdue University’s Purdue Taal came out of the gate hot with angry and empowering vocals that made you sit on the edge of your seat.
The hosts came out between every act to entertain the crowd while the groups prepared to take the stage. This little touch added a bit of intimacy to the event and elevated the experience.
The final act of the night was the UI team. They came out strong with impressive singing and energetic beatboxing. They ended the show on a high point and left the crowd disappointed that it was over.
“Every team was awesome and sounded good. It’s always cool to see how teams come up with different sets and merge that with their music,” Pradeep said.
The judges had a very tough decision to make. Meanwhile, the hosts organized a beatbox battle between all the vocal percussionists in the competition. This was an extremely fun way to pass the time and strengthened the camaraderie of everyone competing. It also emphasized the aspect of community between the teams.
After all the fun settled down, the judges were ready to announce the winners. In an exciting climax with lots of tension, the University of Indiana’s Humraah was deemed winner of the competition.
“My reaction to the event was that it went really well and smoothly as teams enjoyed being in Iowa City,” Pradeep said. “It’s always been cool to see how it comes together at the end of the year.”