Sam Powers | Senior Photo Editor

“Diwali 2024: Rang and Rhythm” is the first show of the school year in the annual circuit of student-run cultural showcases taking place in Edison Theater. It is a massive production put on by Ashoka, WashU’s South Asian student association, in collaboration with many other student groups who perform in the show. The production is a collection of acts from a variety of different cultures in South Asia, which all fit together to make a lively and vibrant show that features over 200 students and staff members. 

For the last few weeks, the board of Ashoka has been incessantly busy. In a speech prior to the Diwali show’s final dress rehearsal on Thursday night, Nov. 14, a board member described the constant practicing and preparation leading up to the show as feeling like a “week-long exam.” Their hard work is evident in the production.

The performance commemorates its titular holiday that originates in South Asia. This year, the holiday of Diwali took place at the end of October and early November. According to the Hindu Student Association, whose representatives spoke before the show, the multi-day festival was started around 2,500 years ago to celebrate the annual harvest. This festival of the lights is celebrated around the world each year in a variety of ways. Here at WashU, the Diwali show is one of them.

The show begins with performers welcoming the audience in several languages and introducing the emcees. The first half of the performance features a variety of different acts, including WashU Classi, a traditional dance group; a fashion show; and Indian Classical Music. The fashion show is a highlight of the first half, showing off clothes from all across South Asia, which shimmer and iridesce in the production team’s outstanding lighting design. Before the intermission, the class dance brings together the seniors and first-years from different performing groups in a touching tribute to Diwali’s performers, new and returning. 

The second half of the show is primarily dance groups, accompanied by one acapella group. The dance groups include WashU Raas, WashU Garba, Sur Taal Laya (STL), WashU Bhangra (WUBB), and WashU Chaahat. The performances in the second half are longer and more elaborate, typically with multiple songs fused together and several phases to each dance. The intense choreography in each group’s specific style is impressive and visually stunning. These groups tend to incorporate other elements into their performances — like video storytelling in Chaahat, handmade set pieces in Raas, and talented soloists in the acapella group, STL — making each performance unique and unforgettable. 

Ashoka is donating all of its profits from this weekend’s shows to Helping Hand for Relief and Development, a nonprofit organization helping civilians in the Kashmir region, a long-contested and militarized area in the Himalayan mountains between India and Pakistan.

Diwali has three shows this weekend — one show the evening of Friday, Nov. 15, and two shows on Saturday, Nov. 16 — before it is finished for the year. Tickets are still on sale through Edison Theater. Grab yours now before they sell out!