by Seth Badu

The annual Sholay Show, hosted by SASA, the South Asian Student Alliance, was quite a spectacle this year. The event apparently was sold out and the SAC auditorium was packed with spectators. The long line outside, filled with expectant visitors, was proof of the quality of previous shows and the eager anticipation accompanying this one. It also contributed to the fact that the show started two hours later than it was supposed to (at 9pm instead of 7pm). I’m personally grateful for this as I showed up at around the time it actually started. The show itself had something for everyone. There were highs and lows, hits and misses, but overall for those who went to see it, it was a night well spent.

The performance opened with two MCs, Kurien Matthews and Talha Qureshi, warming up the audience by going into a comedic routine about life in Stony Brook. This got the crowd laughing and broke the ice. The people who actually arrived at the advertised time had been waiting for almost two hours and were understandably impatient. The MC routine succeeded in getting everyone relaxed and ready for the show. As the night went on, the MCs provided welcome comic relief after lackluster performances and reinforced the spirited ones. They were undeniably the most consistent performers of the night.

The first segment began with a group called Nunas, four ladies who performed a dance routine. This was a nice start to the evening’s festivities and set the tone for the other performances. They were followed by Reminiscence, a trio that was supposed to include a singer, a guitarist, and a bassist. However, when only two members of the group (the singer and the guitarist) showed up on stage, it was explained to the audience that the bassist was not going to be part of the performance. So with a noticeably absent bassist and barely audible sound, Reminiscence was less than spectacular.

The duo was followed by Unleashed, a highly spirited group of dancers who thrilled the audience with their dance routine. Unleashed was simply fun to watch and the group had the audience fired up with its enthusiasm. Although the next act, a step dance by Iota Nu Delta, was a good, well-rehearsed performance, Unleashed was actually able to wake up and move the audience. Not surprisingly, Unleashed won the first segment.

The second segment began with a video performance called Real World Stony Brook. As you may have guessed, this particular act aimed to mimic the hit reality TV show by depicting the lives of some fictional Stony Brook students in a suite. Unfortunately this was probably not the right environment to broadcast this show, as it was short on action and long on dialogue. And monologues. And it contributed greatly to the discontent of the crowd. In fact, after several minutes of the performance the increasingly restless audience finally erupted into a chorus of boos. At this point even I was thinking, “Where’s the Bhangra Team when you need it?” Although there were some funny moments towards the end of the skit (usually involving the “Token Homosexual” character), the crowd was happy to see it end.

Real World Stony Brook was followed by Solo Dance. It was just that: a solo dance performance by a girl. It was a welcome change from the previous act and I personally enjoyed it. Then out of nowhere about five or six other girls joined the first girl on stage and began dancing along with her. For the Solo Dance! Is that even legal? But I guess it doesn’t matter; the other girls were also good dancers so everything worked out.

The “Solo Dance” (note the quotation marks, they’re necessary now) was followed by FLO, a group of guys wearing white masks and white gloves. They reminded me of Michael Jackson back when he was still cool (before he started getting into trouble with little boys). Anyway, they had a really creative routine and got the crowd moving, proving once again that you can be a great dancer who wears white gloves without having to touch little boys. I would have been really sad to see them leave if they weren’t being followed by the Bhangra Team.

The Bhangra Team got on stage and showed once again why they are a constant feature at Sholay shows. The audience got on its feet from the moment they arrived, and a group of their supporters ran to the front of the auditorium to dance along. The team’s brightly-colored clothes and acrobatic moves were captivating, and even the energizer bunny who dances along with them had my attention. I especially like the human helicopter move they do. But yeah, they were great, and they handily won the second segment.

Next up was the Sigma Beta Rho Dance. The fraternity had a lot of spirit and a ready supply of members in the audience to respond to their chants. The Sig Rho routine was clearly well-rehearsed and almost flawlessly executed. Despite the inherent tendency of frats to be clique-y, Sig Rho managed to keep the audience interested. Their eagerness even briefly made me want to join a frat. Briefly. But they were really good and I enjoyed watching them. I give them a B+.

Sig Rho then gave way to Desired, and what a transition that was! Desired went all out in their performance. Their routine was a complex and creative mix of hip hop break dancing with some acrobatics thrown in. They even had red smoke! I mean I’ve seen black smoke and white smoke and even grey smoke. But red smoke? That’s witchcraft! These magicians put the audience under their spell and got an ovation after their performance.

After Desired, a random guy walked onstage and began dancing. He was really good! The audience was cheering for him and he certainly had my attention, but one of the MCs told him to leave because he wasn’t officially part of the show. I, for one, was sad to see him go and I believe most in the audience felt the same way. I hope he performs next year.

Utsavam was the next official group after Desired, and their performance was similar to the one given by Unleashed. By this I mean they probably would’ve been the winners of their segment if they hadn’t had the misfortune of coming in after Desired. (Suggestion to Utsavam for next year: try using GREEN smoke). Their performance was also very spirited, their choreography was complex, and they got the crowd involved. Overall it was a nice treat for the audience, and it transitioned well into the next act by Parvaaz. Parvaaz followed Utsavam’s performance with a medley of songs. The two guys, one guitarist and one vocalist, brought the third segment to a delightful end. Although Desired won the third segment, the other two acts deserve an honorable mention. The third segment was by far the most entertaining of the night.

After Parvaaz, the winner of each segment had to compete with the others to see who the “grand champ” of Sholay was. The three winning acts (Unleashed, Bhangra Team, and Desired) each did a minute-long performance for judging. All three basically did an abbreviated version of their routine (except Desired didn’t use any smoke this time, which saddened me). When they were done, the audience was asked to choose its favorite by the volume of their applause. The judges then handed in their verdict, and the winner was Desired. Overall, this was a very entertaining event. The five dollars I spent on the ticket was worth it.

Photos of the event are at
http://aasquared.org/gallery/Sholay2008

 

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