Hip-hop beats bump from the third floor of the Student Center every Monday and Thursday nights. Here, the Agni dance team, a student dance organization led by Tisha Vincent, practices their dance moves for on and off campus performances and dance competitions.
“Agni” means fire in Hindi, the prominent language of India.
“We wanted something that sounded unique,” said Vincent, president of the Indian dance team. “We liked how Agni sounded and what it stood for. We thought it fit perfectly with who we are and what we stand for.”
Senior Rajani Bhakta, who was president of the team last year, founded the group in fall of 2003.
The team performs an Indian style of dance that includes folk and classical. Sometimes they perform “bhangra,” an Indian style of dance that originates from Punjab, India. The group sometimes adds hip-hop moves to traditional Indian dance. Routines, although mostly influenced by Indian dance, are performed to a variety of musical genres.
“We are very diverse and usually include any kind of music that is new and fresh in order to capture our audience,” Vincent said. This mix includes classic Indian music, bhangra, folk, hip-hop and beats.
The Agni team has performed at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and The University of Delaware. They’ve also performed at Temple’s Spring Fling and participated in two state competitions this year. With upcoming competitions this spring, the team has high hopes to bring a title back to Temple.
The team recently performed at Drexel University on Nov. 11 at the “Tamasha” competition and Nov. 19 in McGonigle Hall for the ISAT Cultural Show.
Practices are held at the Student Center Monday and Thursday nights.
Christine Olley can be reached molley@temple.edu.
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