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KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011 / NEWS
7A
CAMPUS
Teams compete for the title of KU's Best Dance Crew
Howard Ting/KANSAN
Sakeeb Mehdi, a senior from Bangladesh celebrates after SUA crowned his team, Naachformers, KU's Best Dance Crew Wednesday night in the Kansas Union. Four teams: the Jeeva, K.I.O.S., Unity and Naachformers came together Wednesday night to compete for the title of KU's Best Dance Crew.
Naachformers battle with three other teams, take home the KU's Best Dance Crew title
Ricky Yang, a sophomore from Kansas City, dances during the intermission of KU's Best Dance Crew Wednesday night at the Union. Yang is a member of K.I.O.S.
Ashleigh Lee/KANSAN
BY LISA ANDERSEN landersen@kansan.com
The Kansas Union roared with applause and cheering last night as dance troupe 'Naachformers' was deemed this year's KU's Best Dance Crew.
Students, families and faculty members gathered at the Kansas Union Ballroom to watch four different dance troupes compete for the title of KU's Best Dance Crew and a cash prize of $500. "It went very smoothly, and we had a good turnout," said Sara Miller, SUA's cultural arts coordinator and a junior from St. Francis.
However, Miller said she was not surprised by Naachformers' win this year.
"I saw the rehearsal and the talent they brought." Miller said.
This was Naachformers' first year performing at the event.
While other troupes practiced their routine for months, Mahmood Khan, Naachformers' team captain and Bangladesh senior, said they put their Bollywood and hip-hop style dance together the week before the show.
"I had a club on campus called Volume and Dance Project," Khan said. "We weren't really expecting to win to be honest. One of our crew members started crying because she made a mistake onstage."
Dance troupe Jeeva has won
the University's competition the past two years. Both Jeeva and Naachformers were selected as finalists, and the other two dance groups that competed then showed their vote by standing next to the banner of the group they thought should win.
This is SUA's fourth year planning the event, which began shortly after the premiere of MTV's television show "America's Best Dance Crew."
"Jeeva has a huge support system," Khan said. "When almost everyone came to our group—that was just amazing."
"It has been a lifelong dream of mine." Karishma Khetani, Overland Park freshman and Jeeva troupe member, said referring to
dancing. "It's a great opportunity to incorporate an extracurricular and do something I've always loved to do."
Edited by Erin Wilbert
Jeeve's routine featured a fusion of Bollywood, hip-hop and a classical Indian dance style called Bharata Natyam.
"People really love the cultural side of our dances," Khetami said. "We do it really intensely, and we put our heart into it."
Deep Singh, a senior from Gardner, jams to the playlist at the conclusion of KU's Best Dance Cow sponsored by SUA. Singh's dance team, Jeeva, was runner up at Wednesday's dance competition
Howard Ting/KANSAN
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