Last weekend, Samsara, Wesleyan’s yearly “celebration of South Asian culture,” fulfilled audience expectations as South Asian students showed off their talents in music, dance, and spoken word. The show opened, as it usually does, with the singing of the national anthems of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal (audience members, for the most part understanding none of the words, stood respectfully), and really got underway with a well-executed, visually captivating performance of Bharatanatyam, a South Indian classical dance form.

Dance continued to dominate the night—belly-dancing, bhangra, and a fusion piece (the only dance to feature performers in modern clothing) were huge audience favorites. Presentations of classical Indian music by graduate and undergraduate music classes were also entertaining (although perhaps a tad too long) and the spoken word pieces were moving (Rishabh Dev Phukan’s performance was particularly affecting). But it was definitely dance that ruled the celebration, bringing energy, movement, color, and an infectious spirit of fun to Crowell.