Behind Bollywood: a look into Toga Tamasha

Formed in 2014, the school’s selective traveling Bollywood dance team, Toga Tamasha, has started its performance season.

This year, the team features seniors Abhay Aanabathula, Anant Rajeev, Arjun Ramanathan, Kanaai Shah, Karishma Shah, Naved Krishnamurthy, Nupur Maheshwari, Partha Shah, Samir Vaidya, Sanam Mohan, Shazia Gupta and Sweeya Raj. Juniors Karan Desai, Megana Saripella and Mitali Shanbhag, as well as sophomore Ishana Narayanan. The team is preparing its routines for Bombay in the Bay as well as other Indian ethnic shows at other Bay Area high schools.  

 

Interview with senior captain Sanam Mohan

Q: What is Tamasha’s mission statement?

A: Since Bombay in the Bay was moved to February, this gives people who truly love dance and have a dance background a chance to continue their passion year round.

 

Q: What is the process of auditioning for other school’s ethnic shows? What is the experience of performing at these shows like?

A: Usually, we just send them a video of our routine. Often, our audition may be a live performance. Last year we performed at Berkeley, Homestead, Bellarmine, Saratoga's Got Talent and Saratoga's Holi Festival.

 

Q: What does the team mean to you? What have you learned from it? How has it shaped your high school career?

A: I love [being] able to work with people who are extremely committed and excited to be on the team. The fact that it is a selective team makes the experience more competitive and attracts students who are really committed.

 

Q: What dance background do members on the team have?

A: I have a classical Indian [dance] background and so does [sophomore] Ishana Narayanan, but honestly we don't demand that people need any dance background. It’s more of a natural talent for dance.

 

Interview with junior captain Mitali Shanbhag

 

Q: What was it like being the one of two underclassman on the team last year?

A: You get to know a lot of upperclassmen and I think that now that I am a junior I have a lot of role models to look up to as well as people I can go to for advice. It was nice at times being the baby of the team because I knew that I had all these people who would help me if I needed it.

Q:What are you looking forward to this year?

A: I am looking forward for our team to just grow. I think that we maintained a really good reputation last year. Many schools have already asked us to come and perform, such as Homestead. I also think that Tamasha can get better. There are teams like MV Bhangra and MV Raas that have maintained a really good reputation and they are known as teams, and I hope we can grow to be something like that.

 

Q:What does the team mean to you? How has it enhanced your high school experience?

A: I feel like I am a lot more aware of my culture. I know in middle school and before that, I was never proud to be an Indian, but being a part of Tamasha and being able to share that with so many other people and then going to different schools and seeing so much Indian culture everywhere makes me proud to be who I am.

 

Q:What have you learned from the team?

A: This year, I am taking on more of a leadership role, so the amount of responsibility forces me to work because I know I have a team behind me that I have to support. My first year [on the team], I didn’t know anyone on the team so I had to reach out and meet new people. Overall, it’s a stress-free environment and it’s what I do to have fun.