When it was announced that UF’s GatoRaas dance team had won first place at the Raas All-Stars National Championship, no one ran toward the trophy — they ran for each other.
The team took home their first national title in seven years at the competition in Dallas, Texas, on April 15. Their routine showcased the traditional Indian folk dance of Dandiya Raas, which originated in India’s province of Gujarat.
“You stand in a semi-circle and in the middle is the trophy, but when we won no one wanted to get the trophy right away,” said Vikram Nandyala, a 19-year-old upcoming co-captain. “It really represented that we had become more than just a team.”
This year, the team added more energetic moves to modernize their style. The once fluid choreography became more rigid and technical in style.
“We started noticing that other teams in our circuit were implementing a more modern style of Raas,” said Aksha Patel, a 22-year-old former team co-captain.
The team continued to break personal bests throughout the season and gained more points at competitions than in previous years.
They arrived at the national competition with a mindset of gratitude, wanting to savor the moment of performing on such a large stage, Patel said.
“I think the number one thing I wish for them is to remember why we dance, “ Patel said. “We’re there to have fun and to show our culture to everyone who watches and to show our new members that exact passion.”
The theme of their dance routine was “Toy Story,” with one dancer representing Andy and the others representing additional toy characters, said Umbar Malik, a 22-year-old former co-captain.
“‘Toy Story’ was a huge crowd pleaser because it was easily recognizable, and the routine followed the storyline of the movie,” Malik said.
This season, the group was comprised of almost all newcomers, which ended up being an advantage since the team captains wanted to teach a new, modernized style of Raas, said Nandyala, a UF finance junior.
With a new vision for the team in place, GatoRaas went to five competitions in the 2016-17 season and practiced nine to 10 hours a week, sometimes rehearsing every day, Nandyala said.
On the back of the team’s T-shirts is the quote, “Pain is temporary, pride is forever.” Nandyala said this quote resonated with him when he saw their hard work pay off.
“This year showed me that all the sacrifices and pain I go through come out positive in the end,” he said.
UF’s GatoRaas dance team celebrates a win Feb. 4 at the Raas Mania competition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The team went to five competitions for the 2016-17 season.
