Charter’s very own Bollywood dance team has become one of the jaguars’ favorite performances in pep rallies, fun Fridays, and other school events. The members of the Bollywood dance team come together to share their South Asian culture and present it to the students in a show-stopping way. Junior Ashlyn Shalet is this year’s Bollywood dance team captain alongside senior co-captains Rianna Shalet and Zahara Durand. Using their previous success as motivation, the Bollywood team plans to come back even stronger this year.
Most recently, the Bollywood team has found ways to incorporate the perfect songs within their performances. “My other captains and I like to think of fusion mixes, that way students can be more involved with our performances. Bollywood music is hard to understand to others, so fusing mixes with English or Spanish in Bollywood helps others enjoy it more,” Durand explains. Mixing Bollywood songs with well-known languages attracts the crowd even more and makes them feel included when they know a few parts of the song.
Alongside the music comes the choreography, which is another fan favorite. “We tend to choose high-energy songs and challenge ourselves with choreography that’s new and different from what we’ve done before so students don’t know what to expect,” shares Shalet. Bollywood purposely selects songs so they can mix well with their unique dance moves.
In order for the Bollywood team to have complete success, the team would need a determined group of students. Some of the requirements that the board is looking for are “Students who have a positive attitude. They must be committed to the team and willing to put in the effort to improve. We also want students who are team players and of course, are open to having fun and trying new things,” Shalet reveals.
One of Bollywood’s biggest goals for this year is to grow its name and most notably, perform at more school events and out-of-school events. By “…continuously improving together, whether it’s by adding more challenging choreography or providing constructive feedback to each other,” Shalet believes this will not only help the team become more advanced but also provide a safe environment for everyone.
This team essentially has united into one while still including many different parts of South Asian culture. From the lasting memories at practice to dancing together on stage, Bollywood has created a foundation for the team and for the years to come. 
