The University of Miami’s Indian Students Association successfully held their 6th annual Miami Mayhem Intercollegiate Garba/Raas competition on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at the Julius Littman Performing Arts Theatre in North Miami Beach. The annual dance competition showcases eight of the finest Raas teams from colleges and universities across the nation, all vying for cash prizes totaling over $3,000. For those who don’t know, Raas is the nickname for the traditional Indian dance known as “Dandiya Raas”. It began as a religious dance honoring the Goddess Amba during “Navaratri”, a nine-night annual festival in India. Today, Raas has evolved into a symbol of performing arts and creative expression. The competing teams were judged on their creativity, facial expressions, enthusiasm and creativity, as well as technical aspects of the dance itself. This year’s show featured teams from Boston University, University of Texas at Austin, Rutgers University, University of Maryland, Drexel University, University of Florida, George Washington University, and last but certainly not least, UM. At the end of the night, the University of Texas Raas team took home the first place trophy! Congratulations to all of the teams on amazing performances, and to the Indian Students Association on another fabulous and successful show!

photos_kacie nelson. words_kacie nelson.