The Indian International Student Union (IISU) will present a dance, fashion and a cappella show all in one skit Saturday night for their biggest event of the year, “Tamasha: The Spice is Right.”
According to IISU President Eric Chacko, the skit is about sibling rivalry between two chefs.
“The story of the skit is two brothers whose father died, one of which is adopted,” Chacko said. “They had a big falling out, and when their father died, he left them a recipe that would help them both out. They’re competing against each other trying to find this recipe — that’s why the show is called ‘The Spice is Right.’”
The program will include a variety of Indian dance styles, including Bollywood, classical, fusion and bhangra and will feature student groups Binghamton Bhangra, Binghamton Masti and Quimbamba as well as New York Masti A Cappella.
“We have hip-hop dances right next to Indian dances, we have fusion dances right next to classical dances,” IISU vice president Jonathan Varghese said. “The Latin American Student Union, their dance group, Quimbamba, they’re doing Latin dancing, regular hip-hop and modern dancing and incorporating it into our skit. So when we say it’s cultural, we mean it’s really open to anyone, and it’s really accessible for anyone to enjoy.”
In previous years, the annual event has attracted nearly 400 people. Chacko said he hopes more people will come this year since the IISU has rented out the Osterhout Concert Theater.
“We know people from Albany are coming, people from Buffalo,” he said. “We talk to the Indian student unions from those schools and a lot of those people are coming over. It’s a big cultural show among the Indian community.”
Varghese said the show is enjoyable for anyone and that is the main purpose.
“Basically Tamasha means fun or entertainment or good time in a host of South Asian languages, and the show reflects that,” Varghese said.
The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 in the Osterhout Theater in the Fine Arts Building. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $8.