Alamo City Bhangra dancers perform at the 2024 Buckeye Mela Dance Competition. Courtesy of Varun Joshi
South Asian culture and vibrant dance performances will merge at the 17th annual Buckeye Mela Saturday.
The national inter-collegiate Bollywood-fusion and bhangra competition — which is also the Midwest’s biggest South Asian dance contest — will take place Saturday at the Jo Ann Davidson Auditorium, located at 77 S. High St. The competition will feature 16 college-level dance teams from across the nation, according to Buckeye Mela’s website.
Bhangra is a traditional, 1800s music genre and dance style from the Punjab region, which spans northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan. Sohil Reddy, an Ohio State alum and one of Buckeye Mela’s Bollywood-fusion judges, said bhangra is characterized by vigorous leaps and stamina-driven movements.
“Bollywood-fusion, on the other hand, mirrors the vibrant dance style seen in Bollywood films, while the fusion aspect incorporates elements of American hip-hop,” Reddy said.
Isha Sawhney, co-director of Buckeye Mela, said she sees the event as a valuable learning opportunity for the wider Columbus community.
“Our main goal is to create this collaborative space for South Asian culture and dancers to be able to show their talents, essentially, but also do that in a community-engaged way,” Sawhney said. “If you have no exposure to South Asian culture, this is a really great way to learn a bit more about different cultures, different communities and how they celebrate.”
To support this mission, Sawhney said Buckeye Mela has partnered with Community Refugee & Immigration Services Ohio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting refugees and immigrants in the Columbus area.
“We’re currently set to donate at least $2,000, and with the success of our show, we hope to see that amount grow,” Sawhney said.
Featuring 16 different teams — with eight competing in each category — the event blends South Asian culture with exceptional dance talent, Sawhney said. Participating teams will battle for the first-place trophy, as well as a cash prize of $1,000.
According to the Buckeye Mela website, the eight Bollywood-fusion teams competing are RU Sapa from Rutgers University, Spartan Virasat from Michigan State University, UC Dhadak from the University of Cincinnati, Wisconsin Surma from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, VT Virodh from Virginia Tech, UTD Laksh from the University of Texas at Dallas, Steel City Shershah from the University of Pittsburgh and Hoosier Hamzath from Indiana University.
Meanwhile, the eight bhangra teams include First Class Bhangra from the University of Pittsburgh, Spartan Bhangra from Case Western Reserve University, CMU Bhangra from Carnegie Mellon University, VT Bhangra from Virginia Tech, MSU Jawani from Michigan State University, GT Bhangra from Georgia Tech, RVD Academy from the University of Michigan and DC Bhangra Crew from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Buckeye Mela co-Director Rhea Taneja said the competition’s organizers expect a sold-out crowd this year, including Ohio State students, Columbus residents and diverse visitors from surrounding areas.
“Mela is a way to connect people together,” Taneja said. “It brings almost 450 dancers together, as well as a lot of [Ohio State] students who have never seen these kinds of dance forms before.”
Saranya Lamba, judging head for Buckeye Mela, said the event also collaborates with Desi Dance Network, an organization that co-hosts and sponsors various national events. Some of these events include dance competitions, conventions and forums.
Notably, Lamba said the top three fusion teams from this year’s Buckeye Mela will go on to compete in the DDN Legends Dance Championship, which is set to take place April 19 at the Blumenthal Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
When it comes to judging Buckeye Mela, Reddy said rewarding ingenuity is always the top priority.
“I value creativity, and that dancers are trying to do more complex choreography and attempting that,” Reddy said. “Even if you are a little less clean, even less uniform-looking, I value that more because that is more important than doing really simple moves over and over again.”
Though the competition centers around South Asian dance styles, Taneja said that, at its core, it’s all about dance as an art form.
“Buckeye Mela is not only limited to South Asians,” Taneja said. “It’s really just honestly dance being shown. So, if anyone has an interest in dance or even just wants to have some good entertainment for an evening, Buckeye Mela is a great place to be.”
While the judges deliberate, Sawhney said attendees can watch featured performances from the Sai Art Group, a Columbus-based dance group, and the Origins Dance Team, one of Ohio State’s premier fusion teams and the 2023 Legends champions.
“I think the biggest thing to look forward to is seeing, honestly, really spectacular performances and also, hopefully, an event that is enjoyable as well as well-organized,” Sawhney said. “I know our board has put in a lot of effort to make sure that everyone can watch the performances with ease, engage with the dancers, participate in community outreach and have a good time.”
More information about Buckeye Mela, including how to buy tickets for the event, can be found on the competition’s website.
