NC State has a large number of dance opportunities focused on South Asian dance styles. Three prominent opportunities on campus are Wolf De Nakhre, NCSU Navarasa, Junoon and Nazaare. Wolf de Nakhre is one of the largest Bhangra teams on campus and has just finished its competitive season. Navarasa is a large classical and fusion dance competition on campus, Junoon is a fusion Bollywood and Bhangra team and Nazaare is a Bollywood fusion team.
Wolf De Nakhre is a tight-knit community that offers a social and competitive atmosphere for students at NC State. Junior captain Sahib Chandi, a third-year studying nutrition science, said the tryout experience is structured to be welcoming to new members.
“We aren’t looking for perfection, but for people to do the best of their abilities with the choreography,” Chandi said.
Chandi said the team looks for teachability rather than perfection, and many members, such as himself, hadn’t learned Bhangra before joining the team.
Having just finished this year’s competition season, Chandi said the team is focused on reflection and growth.
“We’ve just finished up our competition season, so going forward we’re focusing on looking retrospectively and growing the community,” Chandi said.
A main focus of the team for the coming seasons is getting their name out there more within the NC State community. In the near future, they will attend a showcase April 16, as well as a community event on April 23 which will include teams and groups from all over the Triangle. Going into April, they hope to host a community class on campus where they can teach basic steps. More information will be posted on their Instagram.
Navarasa is a newer organization founded by students with student-choreographed dances. Nilakshi Phukan, a foreign language associate professor and the organization’s advisor, said she has been astonished by the group’s organization and quality.
“They are bringing these new topics, new concepts, and new thought-provoking ideas, which was really amazing, amazing for me to watch,” Phukan said.
Phukan said the competition embraces ideas such as freedom, war and women’s rights and fuses them with traditional dances. Students can get involved by emailing the organizing committee or her personal email.
Junoon, a competitive dance team on campus, has strived to make the club a non-stressful and welcoming environment for students throughout the school year.
Raga Dasana, a third-year studying electrical engineering and one of the club’s captains, said the club’s mission includes building community and exposing people to their culture.
“As well as providing a safe space and an enjoyable space for our members to dance, we also want to spread a little bit about the culture that we’re all part of,” Dasana said. “It really does feel like a family. I’ve made so many good friends because of this, and I really enjoy coming to practice every week.”
Dasana said interested members don’t need to worry about experience level.
“I would say if you’re looking to get involved, don’t worry if you’re not that experienced, because I was not going in,” Dasana said. “I had very little dance experience, but they taught me everything I needed to know. I’ve grown so much.”
Junoon has a showcase and competition coming up in April. The team is continuing to grow with membership and outreach into the NC State community. More information can be found on their Instagram.
Nazaare, NC State’s premiere Bollywood fusion dance team, competes and performs at campus and community events. They are currently closing out their ninth season.
