Bombay in the Bay: Time, energy devoted to careful planning of performance

With the bright lights, colorful costumes and ever complicated dance moves, Bombay in the Bay is always a hit. While the crowd is enjoying the dinner and entertainment, few of the close to 800 audience members truly realize and appreciate the countless hours of organization that go into making the night run smoothly.

According to Indian Club co-president Priyanka Arunkumar, the list of work to be done in preparation for the two-hour performance is long, to say the least.

“We have to get sponsors, find a charity to donate to, find a restaurant to provide dinner, work on the script for the performance, monitor all the dances from the grades, work on decorations and … figure out lighting and the usual things before a performance,” Arunkumar said.

Yet Arunkumar said that even with all these jobs to be completed, one task stands out.

“I think the most organization goes into creating and handling a specific dance,” Arunkumar said.

Arunkumar said that although this process can be difficult at times, the high quality of the dances can make it easier.

“Organizing the show is hard,” Arunkumar said. “But it’s a lot easier when you have a lot of great performances to incorporate.”

She feels that most of the responsibility for organizing the show falls on the over 80 student performers.

“We do get help from parents with decorations and occasionally a choreographer’s parents will help organize the costumes, but it is really up to the students to put together a great performance,” Arunkumar said.

Arunkumar said that compared to that of other performances put on by different groups, the organization for Bombay in the Bay is unique in many ways.

“I would say it’s different because we practice separately as grades and bring it all together close to the show,” Arunkumar said.

In addition, Arunkumar feels that Bombay in the Bay allows students to be more involved with many aspects of the event, such as picking the songs and dance movements.

Senior Manish Raghavan, the Indian Club’s treasurer, said that the job of organizing the event is not up to just one person, or even solely the club officers.

“Each class spends 3-4 months choreographing and learning a dance, and the seniors write an overall script for the entire show,” Raghavan said. “Everyone contributes in some way.”

Even so, Raghavan does think that some positions require more effort than others.

“Choreographers spend a lot more time because they have to create the dance and make sure everyone knows it,” Raghavan said.

Raghavan feels that the process of organization is essential to making the event a success.

“[Organization is] important because we want the show to run smoothly and for everyone to have a good time,” Raghavan said.

Despite the hardships involved with organizing such a large production, Raghavan still thinks the work pays off in the end.

“It takes a lot of patience and effort to get everyone on the same page, but the rewards are definitely worth the struggle,” Raghavan said.