March 12, 2016
El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre
El Cerrito, CA
There’s no bigger rush for me than to visualize something and then see it come to life.
Laasya is a traveling dance competition that provides a space for collegiate Indian classical dance teams to showcase their choreographed stories. In 2015, Ilakya Palanisamy and I were given the opportunity to bring this show to Berkeley, and Laasya 2016 was a labor of our love and commitment. As a Co-Director, I assembled a Laasya Board, managed the budget and logistics, and kept the team on track. Nine months of planning and preparation culminated in an exciting weekend of dance, music, and philanthropy. I’m excited to see Berkeley dancers host Laasya once again in 2021.
Laasya Board 2016
Top row: Rahul Rangnekar, Meghan Babla, Sruti Desai, Nishani Abeydeera, Aarti Jaggi, Valerie Lua, Lochan Shah, Neha Kumar, Bryant Phan
Bottom Row: Sameeha Rau, Sonal Rangnekar, Nidhi Swamy, Ishani Joshi, Sanjana Kumar, Divya Raghu, Ilakya Palanisamy
Not pictured: Vishak Venkataraman
Laasya 2016 by the numbers
9
months of planning
17
Laasya 2016 board members
$4751
donated to Asha for Education
10
classical Indian dance teams from across the country
103
dancers to supply with food, housing, and Laasya swag
400
event tickets sold, selling out El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre
136
tickets sold for afterparty at Pappy’s on Telegraph
Sonal V. Rangnekar 