March 30, 2024, CHICAGO, IL - 9 of the nation's top Raas Garba teams came to battle it out on the national stage. Raas All-Stars 2024, the pinnacle of collegiate Raas competitions, witnessed an electrifying showdown that left spectators in awe. At the center of it all stood the formidable teams of UTD TaRaas and Dirty South Dandiya, whose unparalleled talent and dedication propelled them to claim the coveted title of national champions.

What is the Raas Circuit?

The Raas circuit, as it is commonly referred to, is a community of Raas Garba teams from different colleges/universities across the United States composed of passionate Raas Garba dancers. Students from far and wide come together to share their love for the culture and tradition of Raas Garba all while competing at several bid competitions. This past season, there were 17 bid competitions from San Diego all the way to New Jersey at which teams competed for placings that in turn gave teams points towards qualifying for the National stage at Raas All-Stars!

Who was at the Nationals this year?

Make no mistake, competing all season through months of rigorous practice, countless hours of rehearsals, and planning a dance routine around a theme requires a significant amount of effort! Upon the completion of the bid competitions, 9 teams rose to be the best teams across the nation with the highest number of points to come and compete at Raas All-Stars 2024 in Chicago, IL on March 30, 2024! The teams included the following (in their actual show order):

• NEU Nakhraas (capts - Sanay Doshi & Shreya Oberai)
• RU Raga (Janki Patel, Virjeet Kullar, & Krish Govind)
• [National Champion] UTD TaRaas (Dhara Desai, Ved Sharma, Amulya Rayasam, & Chinmayi Mohite)
• [National Runner-Up] Dirty South Dandiya (Arushi Patel, Ishan Chhatbar, & Sanjay Balakrishnan)
• UCF Knightraas (Charu Sankar & Nethra Karthik)
• UF Gatoraas (Riya Shah, Riya Modi, Rineha Ramesh, & Joshua Diedrich)
• Illini Raas (Kisha Patel & Rishi Patel)
• Purdue Raas (Isha Shah, Aditi Shah, Harshini Malarvannan, & Neha Rajeev)
• CMU Raasta (Krishna Patel, Shreya Raghuram, & Vidhi Challani)

The Champions - UTD TaRaas & Dirty South Dandiya

After these 9 teams battled it out on the national stage, UTD TaRaas came out on top as the #1 team! Their haunted house theme, execution on choreography, and uniqueness of their performance definitely stood out amongst the rest of the teams! Dirty South Dandiya's phenomenal performance on their Kung Fu Panda theme with high energy, clean formations, and great coherence placed them at #2! As the cheers reverberated through the theater, UTD TaRaas and Texas Raas showcased an exquisite display of skill, precision, and passion that captivated the audience from start to finish. All performing teams laid their hearts out, and exhibited pure class in their performances! Their synchronized movements, intricate formations, and vibrant energy painted a mesmerizing picture on the stage, leaving no doubt that they were destined for greatness!

But beyond the triumph of the teams themselves, Raas All-Stars 2024 was a testament to the incredible spirit of unity and camaraderie that defines the Raas community. From the passionate supporters to the dedicated organizers, every individual played a crucial role in making this event a resounding success. A special congratulations to the directors of Raas All-Stars XVI - Jahnvi Patel and Mahak Bandi, and the rest of their board! It was also amazing to see a board dance to close out the performances!

The Raas All-Stars XVI Executive Board! Photo courtesy: Harshil Thaker

Additional Pictures

Here are some pictures provided courtesy of some of the teams:

Dirty South Dandiya on Stage! Photo: DSD 2024.

Dirty South Dandiya exploring Chicago! Photo: DSD 2024.