After Bombay in the Bay (BnB) my freshman year, I vividly remember all of my friends, Indian, Asian, Caucasian, Latino, running over to me saying how awesome the show was and asking me to teach them about Indian dancing. My friends wanted to learn Bollywood dance moves other than the stereotypical “twist the light bulb.” Too lazy to teach them, I told them to do BnB next year.
The next year, our sophomore dances were jam-packed with enthusiastic participants of all different ethnic backgrounds.
When Bombay in the Bay was started 12 years ago, all of their participants were of Indian origin, but over the last few years, I’ve begun to see a rise in non-Indians Bollywood dancing alongside their Indian counterparts.
Some might wonder how non-Indians fit into this Bollywood song and dance culture when most have never even heard Bollywood songs before. But from what I’ve seen, the non-Indians who participate in the show are just as if not more enthusiastic about BnB.
Every year BnB gives my non-Indian friends a chance to don saris, kurtas and dupattas, and shamelessly take selfies with the caption “Honorary Indians!!!” In a sense, it makes me proud to be Indian watching all of these people from other cultures thoroughly enjoying being part of something intrinsic to my identity.
This year the seniors had almost an entire section of their dance consist of non-Indian performers, and the juniors, whose dance was already large, benefitted from additional non-Indian dancers who made up around one-fourth of their dance.
For us seniors, the last two weeks before the show were memorable. Having practiced almost every day for two hours or more, a distinctly Indian vibe rattled around campus. I saw my non-Indian friends humming along in the hallways to famous “Chingam Chabake,” one of our numbers; talking about what color sari they want to wear on the day of the show; and for those especially dedicated, casually practicing the dances hoping that people won’t see.
The non-Indian performers in BnB have become an integral part of the spectacle, creating diversity, community and newfound friendships.
Senior Katherine Sun, who joined her sophomore year, embodies what it means to be a non-Indian performer.
“I expected it to be super awkward at first because I was the only non-Indian, but honestly it wasn’t awkward at all,” Sun said. “Everyone was super friendly and accepting and we treat each other like family.”
BnB, over the course of the last few years, has transformed itself from a strictly Indian show to a multicultural event with performers moonlighting as Bollywood dancers for the night. As the number of both Indian and non-Indian participants increases each year, I truly believe BnB has secured its place at Saratoga as a spirit hub.
Sun also feels the same way.
“I feel like BnB has always been a source of school spirit,” Sun said. “The friendly competition between grades, AMD, AGD and all the hours spent hard at work became quality bonding time and we all grew to become a family.”
In addition, when advertising for the show, participants show their true school spirit, posting a million statuses on Facebook about the show, messaging friends from other schools to attend the event, making promo videos, whispering through the grapevine that the senior dance is going to be amazing because of one guy’s crazy body rolls and showing ultimate Red Pride for a major Saratoga event.
I think it is safe to say that Bombay in the Bay has grown to become comparable to Homecoming and Powderpuff and has redefined what spirit means around here due to the huge number of participants of all backgrounds and the closely knit community it creates. As I leave high school, it’s encouraging to think that I’ve been part of something that will make people proud to be Saratogans.