As their sequined saris glittered in the glow of tea lights, dancers celebrated the Indian festival of lights.
About 200 student performers presented a showcase of Indian music and dance in celebration of Diwali on Sunday night. About 600 people attended the festival, organized by the Indian Students Association, at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, said Vasudha Narayanan, the association's faculty adviser.
Light traditionally represents knowledge, immortality and reality in Indian culture, qualities which hopefully would be reflected in the performance, she said.
Participants spent six weeks organizing and rehearsing for the show, which consisted of 17 acts, including dancing, singing and an "East vs. West" fashion show.
The performances this year mixed American and Indian culture.
Some students danced to traditional Indian music. Others danced or sang to more modern Western beats.
The performances of the national anthems also merged American and Indian cultures.
Sinthana Umakanthan, an Indian-American UF junior, performed the American national anthem dressed in a sari, and Stephanie Curtis, a UF nutritional sciences junior, performed the Indian national anthem dressed in Western clothing.
For students of Indian heritage at UF, the annual Diwali show is an opportunity to show their culture.
Kirti Patel, a UF senior, said she cleared her schedule to dance in the Diwali show for her last year at UF.
"You just want to show off everything you have," she said.
