In the form of a popular American television show, Bombay, India, came to the corn fields of Champaign and to Foellinger Auditorium on Saturday night.

The Ghungroo Dance Company presented its annual event with the theme, “So You Think You Can Dance?” The night involved dancing, music, Indian culture and other external performances.

The company collaborated with other Registered Student Organizations and brought different external performances into the show, such as the Illini Glowsticking Club, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and a student band, The Fifths. The event also received help from their sponsors Indian Student Association and the restaurant, Mia Za’s.

The internal president of the Ghungroo Dance Company said the night was more than just dancing: There was an ultimate goal.

“The goal of the night was to expose Indian culture and spread Indian dance. I think a huge misconception is that Indian music is all classical and not enjoyable to watch. But from tonight, you can see we have really upbeat songs, dances, and that’s our culture,” said Shrija Desai, junior in ACES.

The company started planning for this event in September 2010. The 29 dancers and members got together and collaborated. The dancers organized it all by themselves, from coming up with a theme idea, to decorating the lobby, to decorating brochures and choreographing.

There were seven dances total in the night and each dance required two to three hours of practice a week. Desai said members also participated in more than one dance, so the hours per week really added up. They practiced every week from September until March in preparation for this event.

Just like the show from which it was inspired, there were hosts and judges to transition each dance or act, mimicking the panel with a host who was a model from India, and three judges with three different covers, from a workout instructor to a fortune teller.

Desai said they gave greater exposure of Indian culture to the Champaign-Urbana community through the show.

“We keep Indian style throughout every dance, and we try to show different aspects of India. Each part of India has a different style, like Bhangra is from north India and it is generally lively and fun,” Desai said.

There was even a student in the beginning of the show who sang the Indian national anthem and The Fifths performed Indian music.

Melissa Johnson, freshman in Education and attendee of the event, said she gained more knowledge and appreciation for Indian culture.

“Before the event, I knew dances told stories and different movements meant something, but now, I’m so much more exposed to different music and different dance. And it’s so cool to see different interpretations of it all,” Johnson said.