The Boston University Bhangra dance team will perform alongside Academy Award winning composer A.R. Rahman at the “A.R. Rahman Meets Berklee” concert in conjunction with the Berklee College of Music at Boston Symphony Hall on Friday.
“A lot of times, A.R. Rahman does get recognized for his music in the American market,” said Arjun Kapoor, a senior in the School of Management and one of the three captains of BU Bhangra. “But having a famous college like this [Berklee], especially for music, recognizing him for the things he’s done is a great sign for the Indian community — that we are being recognized for the things that we’re doing.”
Rahman, known for his music scores in the films “Slumdog Millionaire,” “127 Hours,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “Million Dollar Arm,” among others, will be presented with an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee for his work as a musician and his effort to help students in India study music. Proceeds from the concert will go to a scholarship fund, established in Rahman’s name, to help bring students from India to study at Berklee.
“The degree is one aspect of the event. The other is honoring the work he has done promoting music in India and how he is now branching out to the American markets,” Kapoor said. “He’s done a lot to give back [to] students studying music in India. He’s set up different academies and avenues where kids can take advantage of resources. So honoring him for all that he has done at this concert by performing to one of his most popular songs is a great opportunity.”
BU Bhangra will be dancing to Rahman’s “Rang De Basanti,” which adheres to the style of Indian folk dance that characterizes Bhangra. Bhangra originated from the northern Indian state of Punjab, but has since “become very modernized” because it is mixed with other types of music such as hip-hop, Kapoor said.
“We still keep the main culture things like the props, the dancing style and costumes. But now the music has become very modern,” Kapoor said. “Obviously, we still use folk-type songs, but it’s mixed in with a lot of songs that non-Indians will be able to relate to as well.”
The BU Bhangra team has been preparing for this concert and others since the semester started.
“We have been spending the past month holding tryouts, picking our team and practicing for the Boston Bhangra Competition in November,” said Harjaap Singh, a junior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and another captain of BU Bhangra. “We love to dance every opportunity we get because we can share our passion with the audience. We hope to spread our name and culture to the masses.”
Kapoor, who has been on the dance team since he was a freshman at BU, made it his goal to spread BU Bhangra’s name by attending national competitions in New Jersey, New York, Texas and Indiana. By traveling to these competitions, BU Bhangra has also been able to fulfill their goal of promoting Indian culture, dance and music.
“Performing at Berklee is a nice way of getting recognized in our home city,” Kapoor said. “It’s great to have such a big star come from India to do this huge event and have us perform to one of his songs. It’s not competitive, but I think it’s very nice to do something in our home city after the out-of-state competitions.”
Anita Sulibhavi, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the other captain of BU Bhangra, said a performance like the one at Berklee requires a lot of work, especially in maneuvering the team members’ conflicting schedules.
“The team is really self-motivated about working towards performances like this because there’s so much energy and excitement around the performance,” Sulibhavi said. “A.R. Rahman is really well known, so it’s a really great honor to be able to perform at this event. A lot of our dancers grew up listening to music composed or sung by him, so it’s a very personal experience that our dancers are all very excited about.”
The BU Bhangra team usually practices three times during the week, but practices become a daily routine in the few weeks before a competition.
“It’s always a work in progress, even though we already have the schedule and songs set. It doesn’t mean anything. Literally every other practice, we’re changing things, even while we’re teaching it,” Kapoor said. “The aspect of teamwork and incorporating everyone’s opinions and ideas to put the best thing together is what we try to do.”
But BU Bhangra has also made a deep impact in each member’s personal life, Kapoor said.
“The small family that you gain when you join a dance team has been such a big impact as well,” he said. “Some of the best friends I have have been made through the dance team, so that’s been an awesome experience.”
Although tickets for BU Bhangra’s performance at the “A.R. Rahman Meets Berklee” concert at Boston Symphony Hall on Friday are sold out, the dance team will also be performing at the Boston Bhangra Competition at the Orpheum Theater on Nov. 22. Tickets range from $10 to $100 and can be purchased at bostonbhangra.com.