CulturalFest Countdown: UW Kahaani

This year's CulturalFest Performance Showcase will feature 10 performing artists from around the world on the Meany Hall stage. Read on to learn more about one of this year’s performers, UW Kahaani, and watch them on the big stage on February 25!

How did your group begin? Tell us a little bit of your story.

UW Kahaani started five years ago, with the intent to spread Bollywood dancing and the Indian culture in the Seattle Area. We started as a performing team, showcasing our dance around the area and in the past two years we have progressed to a competitive team, competing with other Bollywood dance teams across the nation. UW Kahaani is unique in that we are not just a dance team: we aim to tell stories through dance, and as a team we hope we can connect with the audience in this way.

What do you hope the audience will take away from your performance? What do you hope they will learn about the culture(s) that your performance represents?

This year, we are showcasing a story that touches on the generational gap between a grandmother and her grandson. We are exploring the difficulties the younger generation faces in connecting with family that they think they may not have a lot in common with. We hope that, when watching this, the audience will think about their relationships and what they mean to them, as well as learning more about the struggles immigrants face when moving to a new environment. We hope that the power of storytelling through dance, with the unique aspect of Bollywood, will come across through this energetic and emotional performance.

What has performing in past CulturalFests meant to you? What can the audience expect to be different this year?

Performing in past CultureFests has been some of our members favorite performance! We love getting to experience the arts represented from a variety of different cultures, and sharing our culture as well. We change our storyline from year to year, and this year we hope to connect with our audience on a more emotional level.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about your performance?

We are very excited to perform at FIUTS and we hope you enjoy the elements of Bollywood dance through our performance! Check out our past videos at Jhoomti Shaam 2016 in Los Angeles and in Naach Meri Jaan Season 1, a dance competition TV show!

Join us for our celebration of the diversity and talent that international students bring to our community!

CulturalFest Ticket Information:

General admission tickets are on sale now for $15 online or at the door. Discounted student tickets are available for $10 in advance at the FIUTS office (HUB 206).