Students play a game of musica chairs during ISCO's Bollywood/Hollywood Dance Party.
Students strike a pose for a quick photo at the start of ISCO's Bollywood/Hollywood Dance Party.
Troy University's Nepali and Indian students came together with their peers for a sharing of cultures as part as the International Student Culture Organization’s (ISCO) Bollywood/Hollywood dance party.
“We try to get international students and domestic students into the same room so that there can be more communication and interaction between the two groups,” said ISCO President Thomas Baker, a junior history major from Prattville, Alabama.
The night held many events, including an outfit showcase and competition, dinner, a game of musical chairs and an open dance floor playing music from the cultures of both Hollywood and Bollywood.
“Bollywood is one of the greatest cinemas in India, and it is deeply rooted in Indian culture, so most Nepali and Indian people are all watching Bollywood” said ISCO’s Nepali Faculty Representative Sachin Yadav.
“Every kind of movie in Bollywood represents the Indian culture just like how Hollywood represents the United States culture” said ISCO’s Indian Faculty Representative Mahi Patel.
Even though the event was full of games and dancing, there's a much deeper meaning to it for those in ISCO who set it up than just throwing a party.
“This sort of a party or event isn’t something you would normally get from a college experience, and so I think it’s important to do this to understand that, yes, there’s differences between different cultures, but there’s also a lot of similarities,” Baker said.
“These events are important because the people that grew up on Hollywood don’t know much about Bollywood, so they can come explore the songs and culture to have fun and hopefully understand more about what Indian culture is all about,” Yadav said.
Overall, Yadav said the event was a success and hopes that in the future, events like these will grow much larger and create an event greater impact.
“Troy is very good at doing events such as this, but I think it should be done on a larger scale so these events could be held outside of just our circle,” Yadav said. “I think that would be great.”
Those interested in experiencing and accepting foreign cultures or any international students hoping for a taste of home can visit @isco_troyu on Instagram for details of upcoming events.
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