The University of Chicago Raas Team

We would like to thank our Sponsors for supporting our efforts this year!

Shinju Sushi

Mac Property Management

Rajun Cajun

Tiffin Indian Cuisine

The Sit Down

Jimmy John’s

Chicago Raas will have a booth at the RSO fair this Friday, October 2nd. The fair is on the main quad from 3:00pm – 5:30pm. Stop by to get more information about the team and about tryouts (Sat., 10/3)!

Tryouts for the 2009-2010 raas season are here! Join us from 5-8pm in the Ida Noyes dance room on October 3rd to learn more about raas and to tryout for the team. We are looking for eight guys and eight girls to fill out our team so that we can compete in national competitions. Although most of our members last year had little to no raas experience, they quickly picked up the style and the steps.

Notification to the participants regarding the official roster will be sent out by Sunday morning.

Expected attire is t-shirts and shorts/athletic pants. We will be dancing barefoot. Bring a water bottle.

If you prefer not to be on stage, but still want to participate, we also have manager positions that NEED to be filled. Managers help the team with costumes, recordings, logistics at competitions, and general support to make the team successful.

::UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO RAAS TEAM 2009-2010::

Do you want to be a part of the best new RSO? The University of Chicago Raas Team, recipient of the Best New RSO 2009 Award, is a coed competitive Indian dance team.  Raas is an Indian dance form where dancers spin and hit short wooden sticks called dandia, all the while maintaining complex formations and unsurpassable energy. We carry out that enthusiasm through campus performances and intercollegiate competitions. Last year, we competed in Ann Arbor and San Francisco, where we won 4th place. While raas is an Indian dance form, those interested in joining by no means have to be Indian or have any dance experience to tryout. Tryouts are on October 3, 2009 at Ida Noyes Dance Room (located in the basement). We look forward to seeing you this year!

Help support Manav Sadhna and Raas Team by purchasing food at our fundraiser on Saturday, April 4th.

We will be selling drinks, desserts, and Indian snacks from 8:30pm-11:30pm in Hutch Commons. All items are only $1! 25% of profits will go to Manav Sadhna, a charity based in Gujarat.

www.manavsadhna.org

The UChicago Raas Team recently competed at Rangeelo Raas in San Francisco this past weekend. We had a very enjoyable weekend and met many friendly people from other teams. Special shoutout goes to Texas and Emory for being good-natured fellow out-of-state competitors, UCLA for the friendly potato, and UC Riverside and UC Davis for being crazy with us.

Overall at the competition we placed 4th.

Pictures and video from both Rangeelo Raas and Dandia Dhamaka to go up soon!

We will be competing at Dandia Dhamaka 2009 on Saturday, January 31st in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  If you would like to come to Ann Arbor to watch the competition, please contact us for travel, hotel, and ticket information ASAP.  We will be buying tickets in blocks.  Ground seats: $18. Balcony seats $13. We recommend traveling by coach bus.

www.dandiadhamaka.com

We will be performing a short dance at the University of Chicago Diwali Garba, on Saturday, November 1st, at International House.

The Loyola University Garba will be held tonight. Anyone who wants to go is welcome to join us. We will be meeting in the Ratner lobby at 6:15pm. From there, we will go as a group to and from the garba using public transportation. Dinner will not be served at the garba, so please eat before meeting at the Ratner. Please wear Indian clothes if possible. This event should last until about midnight.

See you there!