Combining pop culture and cultural celebration, this year’s annual Tamasha performance showcased cultural dances and performances that highlighted the rich tapestry of Desi culture. It was held this Saturday at the Osterhout Concert Theater in the Anderson Center and brought together students of all backgrounds to enjoy the Indian International Student Union’s biggest event of the year.

The event, stylized “IISU ORIGINAL: LOVE TAMASHA 2025,” was themed after the TV show “Love Island USA’s” most-talked-about season that premiered last June. To maintain the essence of Love Island USA, IISU integrated video clips of E-Board members playing the cast members of the TV show in various skits throughout the performance.

The event opened with a video from the E-Board, introducing their characters in a mock title sequence that mimicked “Love Island USA’s” introduction of their sixth season, after which the hosts and co-cultural chairs — Ashwathi Chemban, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, and Tejashwi Karki, a sophomore majoring in biology — introduced Bollybeats, IISU’s a cappella group. The group sang both the American and Indian national anthems.

Shaarang Sawale, IISU’s president and a senior majoring in computer science, discussed how being involved in the organization affected his sense of community at the University.

“As an international student coming to the US was frightening,” he wrote in an email. “Applying for a E-Board position as a freshman was one of the best decisions I ever made in hindsight because it made me come out of my shell and taught me a lot about who I want to be in the future. For me, IISU is the biggest part of my community at Binghamton.”

Just before the first performance of the evening — the freshman dance — began, the cast members of “IISU ORIGINAL: LOVE TAMASHA 2025” introduced their ages, careers and romantic goals for the mock TV show. Afterward, the performers participating in the freshman dance rushed to the stage with flameless candles that glowed against the blue-lit background. Dancers dressed in blue, pink and gold put on an exhilarating performance that ended in the crowd erupting in applause.

Bhangra, a traditional folk dance which originates in Punjab, was the following dance segment of the night and was performed by Binghamton Bhangra — a competitive co-ed dance group founded in 2006. Dancers wore bright and colorful kurtas — long collarless shirts worn in Desi culture — and turle wali paggs, flared head coverings traditionally worn in Bhangra dance.

Performers also used dancing instruments like the sapp, made of X-shaped parts that expand and collapse in the dancer’s hands, as well as the Khunda, a five-foot-long pole that Bhangra dancers use to sway with.

Between performances, the E-Board conducted interactive segments like a “rizz contest,” in which audience members were given the opportunity to flirt with E-Board members in the spirit of this year’s “Love Island” theme. Other interactive events included musical chairs and guessing the name of a Bollywood film by the song — which Sawale sang a cappella.

Sawale shared the most rewarding part of participating in Tamasha.

“When people come up to me and say, ‘you were so good’ or ‘aren’t you the guy that sang at Tamasha,’ that just makes my day and I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” Sawale wrote. “The other side of it is also just as important to me like putting on an event is essentially just another reason to hang out with my friends and do something meaningful at the same time knowing that we’re providing a home away from home for some people.”

Other traditional dances performed at Tamasha include Indian classical dance, Garba and South Indian dance. The impressive classical dance — deeply rooted in Indian culture — is characterized by its intricate hand gestures and movement of the feet, head and chest.

Garba, on the other hand, is a folk dance originating from Gujarat, India. The female dancers wore orange and pink lehengas, which complimented the warm stage lighting as they put on a powerful performance. South Indian dance — which comes from the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu — is characterized by its upbeat and fun qualities, which are reflective of the lively region.

Karki reflected on her time spent with IISU.

“From being the freshman representative my previous year, I found so much admiration and inspiration in hosting such large community events,” she wrote in an email. “Now as co-cultural chairs, Ashwathi and I can do just that by helping share our creative ideas with the community here at Binghamton to continue this already amazing tradition of hosting cultural events. Seeing the successes and hearing the praises from the previous years, I really wanted to be able to make sure everyone continues to feel that way and bring in more demographics of people to enjoy our IISU events!”

Fusion dance groups like Bollywood Film, Masti, the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Zindagi and MODA combined elements of dance found across Desi and Western culture to celebrate a wide range of traditions. This year’s Bollywood film dance took inspiration from the film “Anyone But You” and incorporated acting scenes between dance numbers to develop the plot.

In addition to the South Asian dance teams, Quimbamba, a Latin dance team founded in 1970, performed a variety of styles, including Bachata and Merengue. Black Dance Repertoire, a group founded in 1985, performed hip-hop and Caribbean dance styles.

The show came to an end with a slideshow of the graduating seniors followed by an all senior dance performance and a fashion show that congratulated the performers’ efforts. Karki shared what she hopes students take away from attending this year’s Tamasha.

“Tamasha in its name means something like a grand act or performance,” she wrote in an email. “With our various cultural showcases developed by our amazing choreographers and executive board, I hope Tamasha is something that can really depict not only the grandness of the event but the grandness and spread of South Asian heritage that still exists today. Our dances and our songs create a beautiful blend for a performance to be remembered and a concept of culture to be sparked within all audiences — with those already familiar finding a rekindling and the newcomers finding a sudden interest and deserved appreciation.”