When Bollywood fusion dance staff Texas Talaash walked on stage at Knight Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina, applause echoed all through the room. The staff took to the stage proper after a efficiency from fellow Longhorn staff UT Saaya, making UT the one college represented by two teams within the contest.
As their music began, the group, having seen their set all through the competitors season, started singing alongside. In that second, Talaash co-captain Anubhav Kamath mentioned he totally comprehended that his staff was competing on the Nationwide Legends Competitors.
“We’re used to having a lazy facial (expression for the primary phase) as a result of that’s what goes together with the tune, however as quickly as the group began singing, our complete staff dropped all facials, and all of us began smiling on stage as a result of we simply couldn’t maintain in our happiness,” finance senior Kamath mentioned. “That’s a kind of moments the place all the things hit, that we’re actually right here (at Legends).”
This yr, UT groups Texas Talaash and UT Saaya made up two of 9 groups chosen from throughout the nation and traveled to Charlotte this previous weekend to compete at Legends Nationwide Competitors. UT Saaya positioned second and gained the stand-out phase award, whereas Texas Talaash got here in seventh.
Public relations senior and UT Saaya co-captain Dhivya Bala mentioned attending the Legends weekend and inserting second within the nation served as proof of her teammates’ substantial efforts, in addition to the affect they created.
“We’re (competing) for us, and sure, we love to bounce, but it surely’s actually exhausting to keep in mind that when all you do is follow and your physique’s exhausted,” Bala mentioned. “However these little moments of (listening to), ‘Hey, I’m rooting for you. I’m watching you. I see the exhausting work that you simply’re placing in,’ — it means the world, and it completely modifications the expertise you have got.”
With some seniors graduating and members taking a break from the staff to deal with different actions, engineering freshman Sarrah Ghadiali mentioned she loved the prospect to compete as a part of UT Saaya with this yr’s distinctive cohort.
“This staff is totally different than it’s ever going to be sooner or later,” Ghadiali mentioned. “That is our final time competing collectively (with the identical group of individuals), so it’s type of bittersweet.”
This previous season brimmed with depth, nonetheless it was by means of constant exhausting work that UT Saaya was capable of attend Legends and place nationally, Bala mentioned.
“The highs have been so excessive and the lows have been additionally so low. (This competitors season) examined me as an individual, as a captain, as a frontrunner and as a dancer, but it surely was actually essentially the most fulfilling expertise that I’ve ever had in my life,” Bala mentioned. “I really like this staff with all my coronary heart and soul. I can’t think about what my life would have been like with out them.”
Abhi Murmu, co-captain of Texas Talaash mentioned regardless of not inserting within the high three, Texas Talaash completed off the weekend with pleasure for what they put out onstage and a renewed motivation to repeatedly enhance.
“One factor we all the time tried to say in follow is ‘We’re not successful this for the trophy, we’re not successful this for clout. We’re doing this for hours of follow, stress, all of the sacrifices and the folks subsequent to you,’” mentioned Murmu, an actuarial arithmetic senior. “In terms of Legends, it’s not essentially about successful the trophy. It’s nearly (placing) your coronary heart out on stage.”