Bollywood Club hosts annual dance competition in celebration of Holika
By Angelina Tao and Audrey Li
•
May 13, 2026
Angelina Tao
Maahi Vaswani poses at center stage during Bellaire Bollywood Club’s third dance. The choreography was an Indian hip-hop fusion to a mashup of “Titi Me Pregunto” by Bad Bunny and “Saki Saki” by Neha Kakkar.
Juniors Bollywood Club President Ishani Kaushik and Vice President Rishabh Thosani present flowers to Manjunath Chenneerappa, representing the Houston Consulate General of India. Chenneerappa was one of the event’s sponsors. (Angelina Tao)Seniors and choreographers Suhani Sharma, Prapti Meshram and Pakhi Arora from Seven Lakes High School take a step during their “Ainvayi Ainvayi” segment. The dance move was inspired by bhangra, an energetic Indian folk dance. (Angelina Tao)Senior and choreographer Yahvi Mohite from Carnegie Vanguard High School raises her arms to the song “Uyi Amma,” written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Mohite danced alongside senior Angali Vempati and juniors Pooja Abraham, Neha Ravi and Maliha Arain. (Angelina Tao)Sophomore Alaya Gaj does a Bollywood “trip” move during the bhangra dance. This was Gaj’s first year performing with Bollywood Club, and she was in all the dances performed by Bellaire. (Angelina Tao)Junior Ishani Kaushik and sophomore Maahi Vaswani appear in the first row of formation during one of the bhangra-style dances. The dance was characterized by synchronous high-energy jumps and integrated hip-hop dance movements. (Audrey Li)Maahi Vaswani poses at center stage during Bellaire Bollywood Club’s third dance. The choreography was an Indian hip-hop fusion to a mashup of “Titi Me Pregunto” by Bad Bunny and “Saki Saki” by Neha Kakkar. (Angelina Tao)Juniors Ishani Kaushik and Bollywood Club choreographer Dhara Agrawal wave flags in the finale dance titled “India Waale.” Kaushik began planning this dance and the logistics for the Holika competition in October 2025 due to the lengthy preparation process that involved securing sponsorships, catering and dance teams from different high schools. (Angelina Tao)Maahi Vaswani strikes a pose during the Bollywood Club finale dance. As a first-year officer, Vaswani choreographed, organized and led practices to prepare members for the performance. (Angelina Tao)Junior and head choreographer Reshika Karnati (center) from Tompkins High School performs a bhangra-influenced hip-hop step to a mashup of mass songs. According to Karnati, mass songs are a Bollywood fusion dance with touches of hip-hop, bhangra, contemporary and other styles. (Angelina Tao)Seniors and emcees Ada Arya and Ellie Zacharia sing a K-Pop Demon Hunters song during the intermission before K-Pop Club’s performance. This was the pair’s first time being emcees together at Holika. (Angelina Tao)University of Houston students Alisha Daud and Arya Yadagiri from the school’s co-ed Bollywood fusion team, Houston Jannat, perform the dance style jhumar, a traditional Punjab rhythmic folk dance. The dancers are doing a dhamaal, a common step used in bhangra. (Angelina Tao)The Seven Lakes High School team expresses shock as they are announced the winners of this year’s competition. This was the team’s third and final time competing in their high school careers. (Angelina Tao)
This story was originally published on Three Penny Press on May 2, 2026.
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