Nazaare builds community and representation through Bollywood fusion dance and music

Grace Pfister Correspondent

Entering its 11th year, Nazaare creates a space for students to express themselves through dance by combining traditional South Asian dance forms with Western styles.

“Nazaare is a Bollywood fusion dance team run by students at NC State,” said Nisha Mistry, a fourth-year studying polymer and color chemistry and co-captain of the team. “It was founded on the basis of being able to show our culture, our training, our love for music, especially Bollywood and South Asian music, and just sticking to our roots.”

The Nazaare team is a diverse group of dancers who have been trained in different dance styles, including classical, Bollywood, Bharatanatyam, Bhangra, hip-hop and contemporary. The team is comprised of about 30 dancers.

“The reason why we’re called a Bollywood fusion circuit is because we can do any style,” Mistry said. “There’s teams that do Indian classical, there’s teams that do Bhangra, but I feel like we’re one of the only teams that try and hit every style. … We’re teaching and we’re learning, so we try bouncing off each other’s energies, bouncing off each other’s dance styles.”

The team is made up of three captains, several junior captains and three boards for production, marketing and social media.

“Being a co-captain, you have to understand that everyone learns in a different way,” said Arya Gor, a fourth-year studying business finance and co-captain of the team. “The team really responds to positivity and respect. The more the team respects you and the more you respect them, the better you can work together.”

The members of Nazaare represent NC State at both on-campus and off-campus events, often traveling to other states to compete against collegiate teams from all over the country. The team applies to competitions through Desi Dance Network, which hosts and sponsors national dance events.

“Every year we come up with an entire set that we like to perform at different com-