East Coast dance teams dazzle audiences, raise funds at annual ICE competition
The Koger Center was alight Saturday evening with color, music and high-energy choreography as USC’s Indian Cultural Exchange hosted their annual Aag Ki Raat, or Night of Fire.
The seventh annual dance competition and fundraiser brought in eight Indian dance teams from schools along the east coast, from Georgia Tech to Ohio State.
The evening opened with both the Indian and American national anthems, performed by students from the Columbia Temple School and USC’s Soundcheck.
UNC’s Bhangra Elite took first place overall with their crowd-pleasing Bhangra routine. University of Georgia’s Champa and Chameli placed second with their horror-themed fusion piece and UNC’s Tar Heel Raas took third with a traditional Raas dance.
Proceeds from this year’s event were donated to the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, an organization that provides education to underprivileged children in rural areas of India.
“We’ve worked hard to create a showcase of what we’re about through different styles of dancing,” ICE social chair and fourth-year exercise science student Ishwari Amin said. “It’s for a good cause, and everyone always enjoys the show.”