Despite the closure of campus, many of Wash. U.’s student dance groups are attempting to keep in contact and keep dancing.

Diwali, presented by Ashoka, celebrated its 30th anniversary this weekend with dancing, theatrics and music. This year’s performance marks decades of bringing a spectacle of sound, color and, most importantly, light to the Edison Theatre.

Over the weekend, Ashoka staged its 29th annual show for Diwali, the festival of lights in South Asian tradition. More than 200 Washington University students came together to perform and produce this year’s Diwali: “Unbreakable Kaira Shree.”

Chaahat means passion in Hindi. Members of Washington University’s Bollywood dance team of the same name, say that this is their main characteristic. Chaahat came in 1st place in the Aa Dekhen Zara dance competition, held at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this past weekend.

What’s more merciless: a judge or a scoreboard? Performance competitions are often the tougher nut to crack when deciding, as “objectively” as possible, who among competitors is the best of the best. Consider that in dancing competitions, for instance, strengthening one’s capacity to spin, jump and keep the beat might not cover the spectrum of what makes a better dancer.