Founded in 2003, UT Austin's very own professional Garba/Raas dance team, Texas Raas, also known as Dirty South Dandiya, has been representing Texas for the past 9 years. Come support us at our local and national events every year! We perform not only on the UT campus but also at national-level competitions along with private parties such as weddings, receptions, etc.
Our mission is to entertain audiences all around the US by performing traditional Indian Garba/Raas style of dance at a highly competitive level. We are dedicated to preserving the Indian culture through showcasing our unique and vibrant dance form. We hope to encourage diversity and spread awareness of our traditions by performing both on and off campus.
This dance is traditionally performed in a circle as a symbol of the Hindu view of time. The rings of dancers revolve in cycles, as time in Hinduism is cyclical. As the cycle of time revolves, from birth, to life, to death and again to rebirth, the only thing that is constant is the Goddess.
During this dance, dancers energetically whirl and move their feet and arms in a complicated, choreographed manner to the tune of the music with various rhythms. The dhol is used as well as complementary percussion instruments such as the dholak, tabla and others.
