Georgetown Rangila’s 30th Anniversary Show, Nov. 22-23
By • November 13, 2024 0 16
On Nov. 22 and 23, the nation’s largest charity dance showcase will return to Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall for its monumental 30th anniversary.
A South Asian performing arts showcase, Georgetown Rangila brings together hundreds of Georgetown undergraduates every fall to fundraise for a charity dedicated to enacting positive change within South Asian nations. “Rangila” is the Hindi word for “colorful.”
Last year, Rangila raised over $70,000 for Action Against Hunger’s climate resilience and disaster relief programs in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. For its 2024 season, “Rangila 30: Under the Stars,” Rangila has partnered with the Little Sisters Fund, an organization dedicated to providing Nepali women and girls with life-changing access to educational resources and menstrual products.
“LSF is a truly inspiring organization, and I think all of us are really lucky and really happy to see that our 420 Rangila performers also see how inspiring LSF is,” Rushil Vashee, a senior coordinator of “Rangila 30,” told The Georgetowner. “We really wanted to find an organization that made a tangible impact and could tell us what they are doing with our dollars.
“LSF is super great with telling us that $50 covers books and uniforms for one little sister for one year, $225 funds an entire year of education for one girl in the school scholarship program and, if someone wants to donate $3,600, they can secure a girl’s entire education. That’s eight to 12 years of education,” said Vashee.
Thanks to a series of successful fall fundraisers, in collaboration with sponsors such as Crepaway and Chipotle, Rangila has already raised thousands of dollars for LSF, even before ticket sales have gone live.
LSF’s powerful mission statement hits particularly close to home for Alison Karki, Vashee’s fellow senior coordinator, a Nepali American. “Being able to use a little bit of our privilege being at Georgetown and living in the U.S. to help my Nepali community, it just means so much to me,” Karki said.
Vashee, Karki and junior coordinator Rania Khan have worked tirelessly to ensure that “Rangila 30: Under the Stars” is the showcase’s most stellar year yet. For starters, they have added a Saturday matinee alongside Rangila’s typical Friday and Saturday evening shows, meaning that an additional 700 people will be able to see this year’s production.
What’s more, after a 10-year hiatus, “Rangila 30” will also feature the long-awaited return of Afro Fusion — a genre blending Afro-Caribbean and South Asian dance styles.
“[Afro Fusion] was around for “Rangila 20,” I believe, when we had our showcase at the Kennedy Center,” Khan said. “Now, to be able to bring it back for our 30th anniversary just feels super, super meaningful.”
“Rangila 30” showtimes are: Friday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 23, at noon and 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for Georgetown students and $30 for others. To purchase tickets and donate to the Little Sisters Fund, visit georgetown.campusgroups.com. More information about Georgetown Rangila is available at georgetown.rangila.org.
