On Friday, August 31, the Indian Student Association presented their very first Summer Show. It featured performances by Indian comedians, singers and dancers. University president Sharon Hahs was also in attendance and gave a brief welcome speech.
The ISA is well-known for feature events like the Diwali Show. Sunil Mahadeshwar, Indian Student Association president and Student Trustee, began by saying that the ISA is one of the largest student organizations on campus whose goal is to educate the general student body on Indian culture. He says having an event like the Summer Show is a great way to kick off the fall semester and hopes to make it an annual event. Fellow ISA student, Pury Modi ” was really, really impressed by the acts, it was a good first time and as it progresses it’s going to get better.”
The first act was Chai Town, which is an award-winning Hindi-English Acapella group of singers that formed out of the University of Illinois. Sapna Kumar, an Indian lesbian comedian, followed. Next was a dance act by NEIU students Monika, Bianca, Elizabeth, Binti, and Simi. Samson Koletkar, an Indian Jewish comedian from San Francisco did standup.
The show ended with a wonderful performance by Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, which is in residence at Northeastern Illinois University. Its founder and artistic director, Dame Libby Komaiko, spoke briefly to introduce the group. Drinks and food were served after the show. Overall, the Summer Show was a great success that helped educate the student body about Indian culture.