Lasya rocked the IISc's Pravega 2014

The word ‘Lasya' has its origins in the Shiva Purana (the tale of Lord Shiva) where Goddess Parvati is said to have danced the ‘Lasya' in response to Lord Shiva's ‘Tandava'. The word ‘Lasya', by itself, means beauty and happiness. Therefore, it was to honour the gift of dance, its beauty and the happiness it brings, that the dance event of Pravega was named Lasya.

After weeks of arduous preparations by the dance enthusiasts and dancers of IISc, Lasya kicked off on the first day of Pravega at Satish Dhawan Auditorium (SDA). The judges were seated and waiting for the dancers to begin when Sivaprasad, our very exuberant anchor for the day, took the stage and announced the entry of the first group who grooved to a medley of peppy Bollywood numbers and western pop music. Following them was a group of daintily dressed girls from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT)who incidentally also called themselves ‘Lasya'. With scintillating music, graceful expressions, and beautiful lifts and formations, they awed the audience and told the poignant story of the unsung hero Jatayu, the great vulture from Ramayana who had paid with his life for attempting to rescue Sita from Ravana's clutches. Next on stage was a curious looking group who seemed to have marched in straight from the Zombie Apocalypse.

They aptly called themselves ‘The Walking Dead' and entertained the audience with their rather quirky moves and music. ‘Thrill-thrash' was the name of the following group and they began with a short introductive story about a young girl whose passion for dance had been stamped out by society's unyielding norms. Their soulful story gradually unfolded on stage to much applause and appreciation from the audience. Siva, soon after, came up to announce a short break during which the B-Boying crew - Kevin (from Black Ice), Shane and Shawn (Brothers of Destruction), treated the audience with their breathtaking manoeuvres and break dance. Last to perform was the team from IISc Yaran da Tashan, a lively Bhangra group that made the audience groove to their loud music and thumping moves.

The event came to a close with the judges receiving their token of gratitude from the organisers and of course, with the announcement of the results. As the name of the winning group was announced, the audience burst into cheers and applause, conveying their approval of the judges' choice. Very interestingly, the name of the winners also happened to be Lasya. Thus, Lasya had been a success both as an event and as a team.