DUKE DIYA PRESENTS Awaaz 2022 The Adventures of Sheila Holmes December 2nd & 3rd 7PM - 9PM Page Auditorium 402 Chapel Drive First Year Dance Deewana Lasya Community Dance Swing Duke Raas Momentum Dhamaka Guest Speaker: Mr. Thakur Mishra Sangeet On Tap Nakisai Sabrosura Rhydhun Defining Movement Senior Bhangra DUKE DIYA PRESENTS Awaaz 2022 The Adventures of Sheila Holmes We are proud to name Kiran, Inc. as Awaaz 2022’s charity partner. Kiran is a non-profit organization that serves South Asian victims and survivors of domestic violence who reside in North Carolina. This non-profit’s mission is to end the cycle of abuse and to serve and empower South Asian victims of domestic violence in North Carolina by providing culturally specific services and comprehensive economic, social and community resources. Since 2008, Kiran has empowered victims/survivors by providing access to information, education, and other necessary social and economic support that best reflects each person's interests and needs. Kiran has been a charity partner and community partner of Duke Diya, and specifically Awaaz, for many years. If you are able to and would like to, you can donate at our Awaaz donation link (tinyurl.com/awaazdonate22), or directly at kiraninc.org. Visit Kiran's website visit kiraninc.org for more information. DONATE TO OUR CHARITY PARTNER, Kiran, Inc. Awaaz Donation Link: First Year Dance The First Year Dance is choreographed and performed entirely by the Class of 2026, and it has become a tradition for the First Year Dance to kick off our annual show! Choreographed by: Afraaz Malick, Saanvi Pawa Deewana Duke Deewana is Duke's premiere South Asian A Cappella Group, which performs on stages across Duke and the U.S. Deewana's mission is to build and support a community of individuals devoted to music, specifically the fusion of Western and South Asian music that highlights Deewana's emphasis on a cross-cultural experience. Our arrangements try to accurately represent the cultures from which they come, including aspects of pop, classical, rock, and indie music. We are so excited to perform for you and make you a part of our vibrant community. This year, our set emphasizes the importance of letting go of your worries and embracing a positive outlook on life. The arrangement we have chosen represents a variety of functional and diverse musical concepts that work together to build our theme. We're excited to present a piece that represents more of a Western pop style mixed with popular Bollywood. This is our first Awaaz performance as a new team, and we're so excited to perform for you. We hope you enjoy our performance! Arranged by: Karthik Sreeram, Kashyap Sreeram Awaaz 2022 Awaaz 2022 Lasya Duke Lasya is Duke's premier South Asian classical dance team. We aim to spread classical dance styles such as Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak, and Charya throughout the Duke and Durham community. In the past, we've performed at various on-campus performances such as Awaaz and Fallcase, as well as off-campus performances at UNC Bhangra Sutra and Yale's Bulldog Dhamaal. For Awaaz, Duke Lasya has kept our set a blend of traditional Carnatic/Hindustani songs and western songs in the pop genre. Awaaz is an opportunity for us to showcase our identity as not only South Asians but as South Asians who grew up with a lot of influences from western culture. We hope you enjoy the fusion set we've created as it is a set representative of us and our identity. Choreographed by: Annapurna Bhattacharya, Arsha Sharma, Isha Shah, Lalitha Pingali, Natasha Murugan, Navina Doss, Priya Rathinavelu, Rakshita Ramakrishna, Sabhyata Jha, Sanjana Kalagara, Shanaya Piramal, Shivangi Soni, Spandana Vagwala, Thivya Sivarajah, Zaarah Azad Community Dance The Awaaz Community Piece was created to bring together different people excited about performing at Awaaz and honor different styles of dance throughout South Asia. The set showcases bhangra, raas, Bollywood, Bharatanatyam, and kuthu. The piece also celebrates the songs that many South Asians heard while growing up, and songs that were huge in defining and articulating the style during different time periods. Each song in the set is from a different decade, starting from the 80s, and ending in the present. We are so excited to present a fun piece that also incorporates a variety of diverse styles that have deep histories in South Asia, and celebrate South Asian heritage! Choreographed by: Arushi Bhatia, Devan Desai, Devanshi Pandya, Kashyap Sreeram, Rishi Salwi, Satya Khurana, Satya Yalamanchi, Spandan Goel, Thivya Sivarajah, Vaneesha Patel, Vinitha Sunkara Awaaz 2022 Swing Duke Swing Dance Club is Duke’s outstanding social swing dance organization. We teach our members swing styles including Lindy Hop, East Coast, and Charleston as well as stunts, dips, and other tricks. Throughout the year, we hold open lessons for the school and community plus multiple social dancing events. We invite any and all people from all backgrounds/experience levels to come to one of our open lessons and have a great time! This Awaaz piece is a vibrant and exciting number combining two songs from smash-hit Bollywood movies. The first song, “Badtameez Dil”, is from an incredibly popular 2013 Bollywood movie titled Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (translating to “This youth is crazy” in English). For this piece, we fused traditional Bhangra with familiar western Charleston/Lindy Hop moves to cultivate a sense of cross-cultural celebration, unity, and excitement on stage. The second song, “Girls Like to Swing,” is from a film titled Dil Dhadakne Do (translated as “let the heart beat” in English), a Hindi comedy/drama movie released in 2015. In this song, we transport you to the stage on the cruise ship that the movie takes place in, taking inspiration from the original choreography. With the vibes of a flapper dance club from the roaring 20s, this number is sure to be a fantastic time! We give MASSIVE thanks to Satya Khurana from Dhamaka, who taught us basic Bhangra steps and provided feedback on the overall swing- fusion choreography. This piece would not have been possible without her! Choreographed by: Courtney Yribarren, Jaeden Toy Awaaz 2022 Duke Raas Duke Raas is Duke’s premier raas-garba team, performing folk-style dances that originate from Gujarat in Western India. While the team has been around for a long time, we only recently re-started our team in the spring. Garba involves graceful steps typically performed in circles, while raas uses dandiya, which are long wooden sticks that are used in pairs per individual. These two styles are related in their origins and are both performed most often during the Hindu festival of Navaratri, but they are different in their styles. We hope that by combining popular Gujarati folk music, Bollywood songs, and modern pop songs, we are able to showcase this unique and energetic style of dance. We are proud of how far our team has come, and are excited to share our performance with you all! Raas has not only allowed us to connect with our roots and culture, but it has also allowed us to connect with one another and with our pasts. Our performance is based on nostalgic childhood memories from a South Asian perspective. The shared memories of riding a roller coaster, going on a merry-go-round, and enjoying the atmosphere of fun-filled theme parks unite our team, and invite the experiences of our audience members. These memories help us to remember not just our childhood, but also serves as a reminder of having childlike joy and curiosity for all future experiences. Choreographed by: Desmond Gatling, Devan Desai, Esha Patel, Isha Shah, Reah Syed Awaaz 2022 Momentum Founded in 2011, Momentum is Duke University’s premiere all-female, multi-style dance group. Our members come from various dance backgrounds, and are trained in styles such as ballet, musical theater, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and more. Our repertoire spans these diverse styles. Momentum is fully student-run and choreographed, and advised by a Duke Dance Department faculty member. We collaborate with other dance, a cappella and performing arts groups on campus to further explore new styles. In addition to our own showcase every spring, some of our largest performances include Duke Dance Council Fallcase, Awaaz, and Basketball Halftime Shows. Our set focuses on Bhangra while incorporating a Momentum-contemporary influence. Choreographed by: Anna Hill Meares, Sarah Williams, Serena Raj, Rohan Gupta Dhamaka Founded in 2003, Duke Dhamaka is Duke University's premier competitive bhangra team. Bhangra is a traditional form of dance that originates from the Punjab region of India, initially used as a celebratory folk dance done during the season of harvest. Dhamaka is a co-ed team presenting high-energy, traditional bhangra routines with their own modern flair. The group performs at various on-campus events, in the surrounding area, and nationwide to increase interest and raise awareness for Punjabi culture. Dhamaka's Awaaz performance displays an excerpt of our full set that will be in competitions across the country next semester. The set begins with saaps, a traditional instrument native to Punjab, and transitions through different subsets of the bhangra art form, ending with a high-energy, fast-paced finale. We hope you enjoy this performance that we have worked so hard for through hours of practice and years of community. Choreographed by: Saanvi Goenka, Sarab Bhasin, Satya Khurana, Serena Raj Awaaz 2022 DUKE DIYA WELCOMES OUR GUEST SPEAKER Mr. Thakur Mishra Mr. Thakur Mishra serves as the Program Coordinator for the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency (CRRA), whose mission is to enable all refugees and asylees to become self-sufficient in the United States by providing resettlement services, employment services, and immigration services, along with connecting refugees and asylees to other service agencies in the Charlotte area. Mr. Mishra was only seven years old when he, along with his family, were evicted from Bhutan. Mr. Mishra lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for close to 20 years before being resettled in the Bronx in New York City. He has worked at the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency since 2011 in various capacities, having previously served as a caseworker, case manager, and now, program coordinator. Mr. Mishra has also appeared in various international media, including The Wall Street Journal, Aljazeera America, The Diplomat and Global Post with articles aimed at advocating for refugees. Mr. Mishra holds his first bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Nepal, and a second bachelor’s degree in International Studies from UNC Charlotte. Awaaz 2022 Sangeet Duke Sangeet is the university’s premier Indian classical-fusion music group. Our members have experience with a variety of South Asian music and instrumental styles, and in addition to performing, we hold interactive workshops, invite performing musicians, and host regular jam sessions. Although we focus on Indian musical styles, we are open to any genres that members would like to explore and are trying to collaborate with diverse music groups on campus to continuously expand our horizons. Our goal for this year’s set is to represent the musical experiences and interests of our members by honoring the rich traditions of Carnatic and Hindustani music while blending these styles with Bollywood, South Indian film, and Western music influences. Based on this, we will be presenting a mashup of songs with Carnatic and Hindustani improvisation and instrumental fusion segments. We're so excited to perform at Awaaz! Arranged by: Samyuktha Sreeram, Divya Nataraj, Srikar Kavirayuni, Tejas Srinivasan, Kashyap Sreeram On Tap Duke University’s On Tap was founded by students in 1999 and remains Duke’s only tap dancing ensemble. Our members come from a variety of backgrounds and training, from the classic styles of Broadway to the fast beats of modern rhythm tap. We bring this unique style to the Duke community through fun and innovative twists on tap dancing! Our team is entirely student-run, and our annual spring showcase features all original student choreography. In addition to our annual showcase, On Tap performs at many events on Duke’s campus including the Duke Dance Council Fallcase and Duke Diya’s Awaaz. Our piece is a mashup of tap and Bhangra, and it's one of our favorite pieces to choreograph every year! Special thanks to our On Tap alumni who have taught us the basics of Bhangra dance over the years. We are so grateful for their lasting impact. Choreographed by: Christina Boxberger, Lilly Kelemen Awaaz 2022 Nakisai Nakisai Premier African Dance Ensemble is Duke's premier African Dance team. "Nakisai" means beautiful in the Zimbabwean language Shona, and through our dances, we hope to showcase the beauty in the multitude of cultures throughout the African diaspora. Our commitment is to expose the greater Duke community to African culture through music and dance. In this set, we dance to "No Sleeping," "Goliya," "Soundgasm," and the Bhangra remix of "Get Busy." Through these four dances, we hope to showcase a blend of African and South Asian dance styles and music. We believe that dance is a form of creating unity, and we hope to demonstrate this by bringing together two distinct cultures through music and dance. Choreographed by: Ashley Wilson, Corali Francisco, Jaylynn Higgin, Jen Wang Sabrosura Sabrosura is Duke's premiere latin dance team! We focus on salsa, bachata, merengue, and other kinds of latin dances. This piece by Sabrosura tells an extremely passionate love story. It is inspired by the romance behind the 2022 Indian sports action film "Liger." Each couple in this piece aims to show us that the best way to forge an intimate connection with your partner is through dance. Partner dancing allows our bodies to physically connect in a way that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. This piece will show you what an intense love story told through pure body movement looks like. Get ready to enjoy the unique flavor brought by Sexy Sabro Fire! Choreographed by: Santiago García Awaaz 2022 Rhydhun Duke Rhydhun is Duke University’s Premier Co-Ed Bollywood Fusion Dance Team. They are a nationally-recognized group that incorporates various dance styles including Bollywood, Bhangra, Kuthu, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Hip-Hop, and Contemporary dance to present a high-energy set at local and national competitions within the Desi Dance Network (DDN) circuit. Rhydhun hopes to combine the visual arts with a competitive and driven atmosphere, all while embodying the Duke Blue Devil culture. Our Awaaz performance combines a few of the styles we typically compete with including Bollywood, Kuthu, and Hip Hop. Each year, we pick a theme or story to tell through our choreography, acting, and production elements. These segments will be used within the context of the theme for our competitive set, which will be revealed at our next competition in January. So in general terms for now, through these segments today, we hope to showcase the fight between good versus evil. Choreographed by: Afraaz Malick, Aishani Saha, Amrita Lakhanpal, Anika Agnihotri, Anya Patidar, Laurel Holley, Lelia Jennings, Sabina Taneja, Satya Yalamanchi Awaaz 2022 Defining Movement Founded on pillars of community and multiculturalism, Defining Movement (DefMo) was created out of a need seen on Duke’s campus for a diverse organization that transcends the lines of race, gender, background, and more. DefMo promotes acceptance, unity, and diversity through art. With a common passion for dance, students of different backgrounds come together to try new dance styles, explore other cultures, and learn more about one another, all while bringing their own experiences to the group. Our set is a representation of the injustices women of all ages and backgrounds in South Asia face, including the painful realities of domestic violence and female infanticide. We chose this theme for our performance this year because it is the lived truth of many women in and from South Asian countries. This performance may be difficult to watch so please feel free to step out of the auditorium at any time. If you would like to learn more about our song choices and the meaning behind the lyrics, please check out this link: bit.do/defmoAwaaz Choreographed by: Arushi Bhatia, Devanshi Pandya, Gus Milhizer, Rishi Salwi, Satya Yalamanchi, Shivam Singh, Spandan Goel, Tess Foote, Vinitha Sunkara Senior Bhangra Senior Bhangra is an annual Awaaz tradition that allows the senior class to come together and dance! This is the last dance for Duke seniors! This Bhangra piece brings together seniors from across Duke Diya and the various dance groups on campus to celebrate all that they have accomplished in the past four years. Senior Bhangra is high energy (something seniors lack in their studies) and full of memories. Congratulations to all our seniors, we are so proud of you! Choreographed by: Satya Khurana Thank you to the Page Auditorium staff for all of the help in organizing the show. Thank you to all of our phenomenal emcees: Alek Mishra, Devanshi Pandya, Mallika Kankare, Ooha Reddy, Rohan Gupta, Sanjit Beriwal, Serena Raj, Shreya Goel, Shriya Mandavilli. Thank you to our guest speaker, Mr. Thakur Mishra. Thank you to Kiran, Inc. for allowing us to collaborate and fundraise for such an important cause. Thank you to our Awaaz Co-Chairs, Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan and Swetha Rajagopal for organizing everything, from start to finish. Thank you to Arushi Bhatia for our Awaaz marketing materials, programs, and posts. Thank you to Amal Gupta for our beautiful Awaaz logo. Thank you to Satya Yalamanchi for leading the production of our Awaaz Promotional Video and the Executive Board photoshoot. Thank you to our choreographers, arrangers, and performers for pouring your hearts and souls into such incredible pieces. Lastly, a huge thank you to the audience for making this show a success, year after year. Awaaz would not be the same without you. With love, Your 2022-2023 Diya Executive Board AWAAZ 2022 COULD NOT HAVE BEEN A SUCCESS WITHOUT THE COLLABORATION AND HARD WORK OF SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE! Thank you Instagram: @duke.diya Facebook: @dukediya Email: diya.duke@gmail.com Check out more from Duke Diya: