The 22nd annual Indian Student Association (ISA) Culture Show “Raat at the Museum” showcased an exuberant cultural performance at UCSC’s Main Stage on April 27.

Aneel Jon performed with Apna Virsa, UCSC’s premier Bhangra team that specializes in North Indian dance, specifically Punjabi, folk dance.

The show told the story of three UC Santa Cruz students, each from a different region of India. The trio found themselves trapped for the night in a museum exhibit about the history and culture of India. During their unexpected stay for the raat, or “night” in Hindi, statues came to life. They danced in bhangra and raas styles, performed bilingual renditions of pop songs in traditional vocal styles, and told the story of India’s diverse artistic traditions.

“It’s this one big performance to show the campus our community,” said Reva Samant, a Raas Rangeela dance captain. “[It gives] our community members a chance to perform and showcase their talents on the stage and feel like they are valued.”

The show, directed by ISA members Zil Arya and Sonia Salunke, featured performances from Raas Rangeela, UCSC’s raas/ garba dance team; Apna Virsa, UCSC’s bhangra team; and Taza Tal, UCSC’s South Asian a capella team, along with three solo and small group performances. The crowd was enthusiastic — many joined Taza Tal in singing India’s national anthem, and punctuated the colorful and dynamic dance performances with roars of applause.

“[The] culture show is [about] connecting with my friends, culture, and a huge part of my identity, which is dance,” said Priti Kumar, a solo dance performer and member of Apna Virsa.

Priti Kumar is a kathak dancer who explored the styles of raas and bhangra during her solo performance.

Many performers and audience members have made participating in ISA’s Culture Show a yearly tradition, emphasizing the importance of the show as a celebration of Indian culture on campus.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Mani Illuri, who played Raj in this year’s Culture Show and has acted in ISA’s culture shows for three years. “Every year it’s a new story and you find new ways to bring that story to life and show it to people.”