From the colorful streets of Brazil to the stage of one of the Northeast’s biggest dance competitions, UMass Dhadak fusion dance team is ready to soar. With a new routine inspired by the 2011 animated musical comedy film “Rio” —whose main characters are macaws — the University of Massachusetts Amherst dance team is blending traditional Bharatanatyam and Kathak with modern hip-hop to tell a story of joy and excitement that they hope will captivate judges and audience members alike at this year’s South Asian Showdown.
UMass Dhadak was selected as one of 10 teams to participate in the South Asian Showdown — one of the biggest competitions of its kind in the northeastern U.S. — on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Strand Theatre in Boston. They’ll be competing against two other teams from Massachusetts, including MIT Mirchi from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and DFD Academy from Boston — as well as teams from as far away as Texas, North Carolina and Ohio.
“We’re really excited to show our passion and love for dance, and we just love being on stage, so I’m excited for people who are tuning in to South Asian Showdown to see that,” said UMass Dhadak co-captain Ranjani Bachalli.
Team co-captain Shraddha Venkatesh said in an email that the routine is “designed to be fun, colorful and full of heart. We take the audience along on the characters’ journey, sharing their joy, excitement, and love through every movement. By the end, we hope everyone feels like they’ve experienced the story right alongside us on stage!”
At competitions last year, the team performed a routine based on the 2017 action-comedy, adventure film “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which incorporated props, set pieces and videos, with a soundtrack that featured Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Woodkid, Hanumankind and JID, among others.
Bachalli said that the team’s “Rio” routine matches the high bar set last year — and may even surpass it.
“I love being a part of the creation of the set. I love looking at our practices, seeing the growth [at] each and every practice, seeing us improving every single time,” she said. “I love seeing those formations come to life, along with my co-captain Shraddha. It’s something so amazing for us to see as captains.”
“Each year, this contest gets bigger and better,” said Rohit Bhambi, founder of South Asian Showdown, in a press release. “We have ten teams ready to bring can’t-miss performances to the stage. You will be locked in from the moment the first foot-pulsing beat plays in this phenomenal atmosphere.”
Bollywood fusion dance combines classical and folk dance styles from India with Western dance styles like hip-hop and jazz. UMass Dhadak’s repertoire of styles includes Bollywood, bhangra, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, Bharatanatyam and Kathak, among others.
“What I love most about Bollywood fusion dance is the way it brings together Western styles with the dance traditions from my cultural background,” Venkatesh said. “That intersection feels so creative and meaningful, and it’s both beautifully challenging and incredibly fun to find ways to tell a story with that seamless blend that connects with everyone.”
The winners of South Asian Showdown will receive trophies and prize money — $5,000, $1,000 and $500 for first, second and third places, respectively — but for UMass Dhadak, part of the prize, no matter the outcome, is performing close to home. The team is used to traveling for competitions — in recent years, they’ve competed in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Iowa and New York — but this time, they get to stay in their own home state.
“Having an audience filled with our family and friends will be a huge morale boost and such a game-changer, as it brings a different kind of energy to the stage that we can really channel into our performance,” Venkatesh said. “There’s something incredibly meaningful about sharing our hard work and passion with the people who have supported us along the way. Getting to perform at our full potential in front of them on a competitive stage means everything, no matter the final results.”
“It’ll feel more like home,” Bachalli said, “And it’ll make us want to perform even better.”
Tickets to South Asian Showdown are $20 to $100 via southasianshowdown.com/2026.
For more information about UMass Dhadak or to watch their past performances, check out @UMassDhadak on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.