Infusion, a Penn State student organization, will once again hold its annual intercollegiate Filmi-Fusion dance competition at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 in Eisenhower Auditorium.
After successfully hosting Dandia On Fire at Penn State for five years, the competition was revamped last year to bring a brand new Filmi-Fusion dance competition to the tri-state area. This had been done to keep up with audience interest and the increasing demand for Filmi-Fusion dance. After last year's event was voted “Best Overall Event” and “Best Hospitality” by DesiDanceTeams.com (the premier Filmi-Fusion dance forum), Infusion is excited to bring the competition to Penn State again this year.
Of the 50 teams from universities across the nation who applied, nine teams were chosen to compete. Teach team is made up of 15-20 dancers. Members of Penn State’s own fusion dance team (Penn State JaDhoom) won’t be participating in the competition because many of them will be helping run the event.
Entertaining crowds throughout the continent for the past decade, Filmi-Fusion combines two distinct dance styles: Hindi-Film Dance (HFD) and Fusion. While HFD focuses on traditional Bollywood themes, including romantic fairytales expressed to popular Bollywood tracks, Fusion blends a variety of South Asian dance styles with various western dance forms such as hip-hop, classical, ballet and lyrical. These 8-minute-long storytelling masterpieces that Filmi-Fusion teams showcase at Infusion will appeal to a diverse audience. Teams from around the country will compete for the chance to win $3,000 in cash prizes and a prestigious bid to the national championship: Bollywood America.
The Infusion event will feature a performance by international music artist Raghav. In 2004 his debut CD “Storyteller” was released on A&R Records, producing four singles and a world tour in 2005 that included concerts in India, the United States, Africa, Australia and his home country of Canada. His sophomore album followed in 2009. “Identity” released through Universal in India rose to No. 3 on the charts. On "The Phoenix," his first North American release, fans will appreciate the connection to his past musical genius, and new fans will discover a melodic, well-spoken, charismatic artist.
Advance tickets cost $15 for adults, $6 for students and $7 for youth and can be purchased online. Tickets will also be sold at the door the day of the show. Proceeds benefit the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Visit www.pennstateinfusion.com for more information.