Glenbard North celebrating India Night Jan. 25 and 26
From its mountainous regions to its miles and miles of coastline, India is a nation as culturally diverse as it is geographically multifaceted.
More than one of the country's cultures will be celebrated when Glenbard North High School presents its 11th annual India Night festival Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26.
“We present the beautiful diversity of the Indian subcontinent through the forms of dance, singing, fashion and acting,” said Kevin Erday, social studies and world history teacher at the Carol Stream school.
“There are officially 22 languages in India. Just linguistically alone, India is an incredibly diverse place.”
The performances will include Bollywood-style dances and bhangra.
“That's a dance culturally that has its roots in a particular state, Punjab,” Erday said. “These are just a few of the dances. We have 13 acts in the show this year.”
Erday, one of four of the event's faculty advisers, said between 150 and 175 students and teachers are involved.
“It's students and teachers of all different ethnic backgrounds,” he said. “The theme this year is Our Kahani. It means 'our story.' The students write and direct and produce the script for the show.”
“I'm a leader in the show. I'm a captain in one of the dances. I choreograph a part of the dance and I teach the girls,” senior Rushika Amin said.
Amin said her dances are a fusion of Bollywood with American hip-hop.
Born in the United States, Amin said her family hails from western India. She said she is a member of the Indian Student Association at Glenbard North and got involved with India Night four years ago.
“I've been doing it since I was a freshman. I really like the sense of community. We all come together to make the show,” she said.
A guest performance is scheduled for the Friday show with an a cappella group from Loyola University in Chicago known as LUC Raag. Saturday night's show will feature a guest performance by Brown Sugar, a group from Northwestern University.
“There are lots of songs in the Hindi language,” Erday said. “After the show, we offer light refreshments in the form of samosa. It's basically a potato inside a dough. It's a cultural food from India.”
The show also will include Bharatnatyam dance, which is performed by classically trained dancers, Amin said.
Senior Vidhi Patel, 19, another member of the Indian Student Association, was born in India and has been in the United States for four years.
“I spoke Gujarati growing up,” she said. “I was 15 when I moved. We build great relationships in this club.”
She said she'll be doing five dances.
“I'm captaining two of the dances,” she said. “I'm one of the emcees.”
She said she'll also play a role in one of the dramatic vignettes inserted between dances.
Erday said the show is immensely popular and often sells out. A third performance, not open to the public but performed exclusively for students and staff, is scheduled for Thursday.
“It's one of the largest high school cultural events in the state,” he said.
“It's a big show,” Patel said. “It's a nice way to show the beauty of our culture.”
India Night
When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25 and 26
Where: Glenbard North High School, 990 Kuhn Road, Carol Stream
Tickets: $6, available online at glenbardnorthisa.seatyourself.biz
Info: <a href="http://www.glenbardnorthhs.org">glenbardnorthhs.org</a>