Naacho’s ‘Yaadein’ a crowd-pleaser

Naacho, Princeton’s premier Indian dance group, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its spring show, “Yaadein,” which brings forth a lively mix of styles ranging from classical to Bollywood folk, Bhangra to modern remix. If you have no idea what Bollywood folk or Bhangra is or what a modern remix Indian dance looks like, all the better — just prepare yourself to be surprised, and drop by the Frist Film/Performance Theatre this weekend. Naacho will show you the new world of Indian dance, with a combination to “Right Round” by Flo Rida, for example.

The show starts with “Naacho Through The Ages,” a tribute to its 10 years of history. The piece is comprised of nine different songs, each selected from a past performance. It’s like watching a slideshow of past performances: costumes, music, rhythm, themes and dancers constantly change over a short period of time. On one side, it’s a great way to jump-start the show, with overwhelming energy from the large number of dancers involved on the stage. On the flip side, however, with the entire crew running around trying to cram nine different styles into one piece, it seems like a hodgepodge of dances that don’t gravitate toward a single theme.

The show picks up with the second dance, “One Friendship, Indivisible, Four All,” choreographed by Sanchali Pal ’12. The performance sets up a story that begins with this piece and continues to develop throughout the following pieces. In the story, four Princeton graduates each start a new journey in life: One travels to the West Indies for medical school, another meets the love of her life and gets married, and others engage in new relationships and the nightlife scene. Once the storyline gets introduced, the subsequent pieces start to make a lot more sense. The show becomes something between a dance performance and a Bollywood musical.

Naacho’s ability to get the audience totally immersed in its energy and passion is always a great thing. The rhythmic stomping of feet, the acoustic effect of ankle bells, the clapping and the twirl of colorful costumes all charge the atmosphere with a liveliness that reminds me of a vibrant night market. In this year’s program, such strength reaches its peak at the end of part one in “Raapchi: A Day in Maharashtra,” choreographed by Manav Lalwani ’09. It’s flirtatious, it’s festive, and it’s glamorous — it’s the ultimate peak of excitement you are looking for in a dance show. This eccentric combination of Kolhi folk, Bollywood and Lavani-style girl thumkas creates a liberating experience as the dancers jump off the stage and dance through the aisle, transmitting the heat and energy directly to the audience.

Other notable pieces include “These Distances,” choreographed by Ailea Stites ’12, and “Promotion,” choreographed by Danny Weiss ’12. For “These Distances,” an exceptionally emotional and abstract piece that brings the heat down a notch, music is performed live with two singers and cello accompaniment. While this modern piece surely is an attempt to venture outside the conventional realm of traditional Indian dance, it doesn’t seem to sync with the overall flow of the program: It is abruptly placed in between festive pieces, but the energy level is never restored fully to the previous level in the following numbers.

“Promotion,” on the other hand, is a successful attempt to extend beyond the traditional realm. In the story, the four friends head out for a night of celebration. It’s not just the dancing that makes this piece engaging: It’s the combination of the witty storyline, the playful attitude of the dancers, modern fusion music and even little things like the perfectly coordinated choreography of eyes and facial expression that make this piece all the more absorbing.

The performance ends with a cute couple’s dance and a picture-perfect ending — not unlike “High School Musical.” All things considered, Naacho’s “Yaadein” is an energizing experience. Though the cheese factor is high, it’s a show that’s bound to perk you up.

4 out of 5 paws