On Friday, April 4, Fordham Falak, Fordham University’s first South Asian fusion dance team, held its first-ever showcase at the Leonard Theatre in Fordham Prep. The performance was broken down into four acts with various styles of dance, including Bollywood, Kathal, Bharatanātyam, Garba and hip-hop. The dancers’ enthusiasm and hours of practice were clear in their energetic and coordinated performance. A definite highlight was the dance to FE!N, a surprise that was left off of the program. There were also amazing solo spotlight performances by senior captains Aaliyeh Sayed, FCRH ’25, Ojaswi Pradhan, GSB ’25 and Anna Alukka, GSB ’25. The show had a wonderful combination of full group dances and smaller group performances, which allowed everyone to be highlighted.
On top of the breathtaking performances, the program was also filled with a lot of sentimental moments that acknowledged everyone who got Falak to where it is today. Throughout each act, there were various videos showing Falak’s growth and how it has become a robust co-ed dance group, as well as a video to the seniors thanking them for their work on the team. The videos were filled with many touching words that really added to the importance of the showcase as a big first for Falak. At the end of the show, underclass executive board members gifted the graduating seniors with flowers and short speeches, thanking them again for all the work and time they have dedicated to Falak. There were also raffle winners that were called during the breaks between the performances, where audience members could win a JBL speaker, a Nintendo Switch and AirPods. The audience prize incentive was a nice touch to the night and led to a nice surprise for some audience members.
For seniors Urmila Das, FCRH ’25, Moksha Miyani, FCRH ’25, Alukka, Pradhan and Sayed, the performance was a special moment, marking a huge milestone for their beloved club but also a difficult goodbye. However, the captains still have hope for Falak to continue to grow as a club and reach new heights going forward. Sayed stated her ambitions for Falak to be able to compete in future competitions, as they have never had enough members to compete until now. She also hopes for the showcases to become an annual or biannual event for alumni to attend and watch the performances of the club.
Pradhan, building off of Sayed’s comment, said that she wishes to see more cultural South Asian dances. “I’m Nepali, and there are slight variations of traditional and cultural dances that come out of Nepal that aren’t necessarily mainstream Bollywood,” explained Pradhan. Going forward, she also hopes that Falak becomes a space where anyone can attend and dance and learn more about their own culture or a different culture while making friends and building a community.
When looking back at the team this year, Sayed said, “All the members are so talented, and they have grown so much as dancers in such a short period of time! I have no doubt that they will be putting on so many spectacular shows.”
Adding to Sayed’s comments about the current team, Pradhan said, “I think it’s lovely that we have such a beautiful and boisterous team of lads and ladies this semester.” Falak has been an important part of her experience at Fordham, as it gave her a place to continue to explore and express her culture with others in a creative outlet. During the showcase, she also blew the crowd away with a solo performance that showed off her adept skills.
The same can be said for Zariyat Ahmed, FCRH ’28. When asked about what the best part of being in Falak is, Ahmed stated, “There is something to be said about connecting with the Desi identity, which I didn’t get a lot of from where I was growing up so I took for granted the sisterhood that comes with being in Falak. We all want to do our best and do the dances justice.” Ahmed joined Falak this semester, and it has quickly become an important part of her Fordham experience. Her love for Falak was clear in her signature grin, as seen during the showcase. Going forward, Ahmed, as well as some of the other current first-years and sophomores, are looking forward to choreographing their own dances as well, inspired by their senior captains.
Rithwika Veeturi, GSB ’28, reflected similar sentiments. “I love having a community that is mixed by year; it’s nice having upperclassmen friends who truly take me under their wing and support me both in the dance studio and academically,” she said. Veeturi also added that she loves that the e-board members all have different choreography styles, leading to a diverse range of dances being taught. She is also excited to continue making more mixes of traditional and pop songs next year due to her love of music. Veeturi joined Falak last semester and has been an active member ever since. Her performance during the showcase was energetic and impressive.
Falak’s showcase was filled with heart and talent, led by the graduating seniors, and highlighted the talent of the underclassmen. The performance itself was breathtaking and leaves a lot of hope that this will not be Falak’s only showcase, especially with such promising underclassmen.
