North Allegheny boasts an environment for differing cultures to thrive, and it is with this that the North Allegheny Bollywood Club was able to be created. 

Yet co-leaders Shreya Boppudi and Mansi Avunoori were initially hesitant to start the club.

“We didn’t know if anyone would even want to join or if we could even perform anywhere,” said Avunoori. 

Bollywood is a nickname given to the Indian film industry. It is one of the largest film industries, making up to 800 films a year-twice as many as Hollywood.

The Bollywood dance style is a blend of all Indian dance styles, be it classical Indian dance or more current R&B, hip hop music. After years of participating in cultural dances, the seniors felt they needed to share Bollywood and try and introduce students at NASH to a more updated and urban style of dance that is extremely popular in Southern Asian and around the globe.

“We felt like people really only knew about classical Indian dances, which can come across as more reserved and not as exciting,” explained Boppudi. 

When asked about what they want their impact on the community to be, Boppudi eagerly responded, “Our goal is to share our culture with our community, and create a sense of unity amounts our peers who come from many different backgrounds.” 

Many South Asians grow up watching these colorful movies and often shy away from showcasing their cultural talent.

“We want to show how proud we are of our culture,” Boppudi added. “We also want to encourage others to be just as proud of their own.” 

But Boppudi and Avunoori had doubts about being able to find a sponsoring teacher. They were not sure whether any teacher would be willing to sponsor a dance club.

“I didn’t know which teachers would be willing to sponsor a dance-centered club, so I was a little worried,” Avunoori said. But thankfully for the students, the English Department’s Mrs. Rhinehart, a former dancer, was willing and excited to sponsor the club. 

“I love seeing the passion and the talent of the Bollywood Club members,” said Rhinehart. “This group accomplishes the very important function of offering NASH students a glimpse into an area of culture that they normally don’t get to experience.”

Recently, the Bollywood club performed at the Multicultural Student Union’s “A Night Around the Globe” event. The event aimed to educate others about culture through music, booths, and food. 

“We were nervous about the performance,” said Avunoori. “We had a limited amount of time to practice and were worried it might not look as amazing as we had imagined it.”

Nevertheless, the performance was a hit.

“NA Bollywood’s performance at Night around the Globe was amazing,” Co-President of the Multi-Cultural Student Union Meryem Marasli said, “It allowed people to have a little taste of what performances in Bollywood movies are like. ”

Club meetings usually involve the members learning choreography to hit Bollywood songs, such as “Ghar More Pardesiya,” “Mera Naam Mary,” and “Balam Pichkari.”

NA Bollywood meets every other Thursday in Mrs. Rhinehart’s room.

“It’s never too late to join!” Boppudi said.