As Oasis nears and preparations have begun in full throttle, most would imagine the members of the Dance Club exhausted after pouring their souls into endless hours of practice. However, for Shubh Varsney, the coordinator of the Dance Club, enthusiasm seems to have overtaken exhaustion. Taking some time out of his hectic schedule to sit down for an interview with the Oasis English Press, Shubh expanded upon the Dance Club’s work.

This year, the Dance Club is organising two events: Razzmatazz and Desert Duel. Razzmatazz, a group dance event, sees participation from many colleges in the Delhi University circuit and hosts a mix of dance forms. On the other hand, Desert Duel is a solo dance competition which displays a fusion of various dance styles including western, folk, and contemporary. Reflecting upon the theme of this Oasis, Shubh was hesitant to reveal exactly what has been planned to integrate it within their performances and events, lest he spoils the experience for the viewers and participants. However, he mentioned that there was scope for creativity in the ‘prop round’ and ‘theme round’ in the competitions. Regarding music, they have articulately chosen a few songs from the 90’s—the ‘Golden Age’ of Bollywood—to pay tribute to the theme and the artist.

Besides organising these two events, the Dance Club has two performances and a video presentation at the inauguration. The members themselves do not participate in Razzmatazz and Desert Duel, since they are directly involved in its organisation. However, they do participate in two events organised by the Department of Theatre—Streets and Choreo. All of this means that a typical pre-fest prep work day for the Dance Club involves three to four hours of practice. The Dance Club is divided into four forms—western, semi-western, contemporary, and folk. Each session lasts up to four hours, with sessions beginning from the first month of the Oasis semester itself. The ideation phase lasts for a month or two followed by the dance sessions, which go on till the very last day before Oasis. When asked about the problems faced during the weeks leading up to the fest, Shubh remarked that the major issue during this 50th edition was inexperience. ‘Most of the members of the Dance Club, or for that matter most of the departments or clubs, are seeing Oasis for the first time—that’s the main issue.’ To resolve this, members of the club who have experienced Oasis before have taken up most of the work. Shubh added that the other members have been learning as they go on. When asked about his experience as the coordinator, Shubh said that it has been stressful but rewarding. His coordinatorship, he said, had only strengthened his passion for dance and helped him develop discipline and punctuality. He reminisced that ten years ago, the Dance Club had only one dance form that they used to perform during the inauguration. As time passed, they evolved into the four styles present today, and are doing their best to spread the dance culture throughout the campus.

Addressing BITSIANS, Shubh encouraged them to enjoy the fest. On a parting note, Shubh remarked, ‘I just want every BITSIAN to talk about the events, to talk about the performances we do after Oasis as well.’