Infusion 2016: Can You Handle the Heat?

By Alison Jones

Infusion is one of the most underrated events at Penn State. The name “Infusion” itself represents the nature of this Filmi-Fusion dance competition.  

Each team “fuses” different styles of dance and music into one routine.  For example, you may see traditional Bollywood-style dance, bhangra, hip-hop, ballet and lyrical all in one routine.  The teams always dress to impress and often have multiple costume changes within their routines.  Each team also creates a story line to go along with their dance routine, typically incorporating dialogue and acting into their performances.  To bring their performances to life, teams even create their own background set pieces and props that are set on the stage.

​As you can see, whether you are a dancer, an actor, or even an artist, there is a little bit of something for everyone at Infusion! The winner of the competition will receive bid points to make them eligible for Bollywood America (The Filmi-Fusion Dance Championship), as well as $3,000 in cash prizes. Teams from all across the country apply to compete at Infusion and after careful selection, 9 of the best teams are invited to perform. The Infusion Executive Board, made up of highly qualified and talented Penn State students, works all year long to make this incredible event possible!  Last year at Infusion 2015, Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri, hosted the event.  She is the first Indian American to be crowned Miss America and the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage.  Infusion 2015 had an estimated 1,500 people in attendance.  

​The Infusion 2016 lineup consists of the following 9 teams:  Rutgers University Sapa, Drexel Jhalak, Boston University Jalwa, Wayne State Warrior Jhatka, University of Georgia Asura, Chicago Adaa, UTD Chalak, UTD Sharara and Broad Street Baadshahz.  

Infusion 2016 will be held on March 19th, 2016 at Eisenhower Auditorium.  Trust me and clear your schedules—this is an event you do not want to miss!  After attending this event, you will be left wondering when you can buy your tickets to Infusion 2017.