Brown Badmaash Dance Company - History

History

Brown Badmaash was founded in 2005 by students at Brown University after the University's annual South Asian cultural show in March. After considering several names, including "Brown Chutney" and "Shabaash," the team chose to call itself "Badmaash," the Hindi word for mischievous or rascal. Despite being a rather unorthodox name for a dance team, "Badmaash" was chosen because it emphasized the team's focus on breaking tradition by fusing dance styles from around the world.

Throughout the 2005–2006 school year, Brown Badmaash expanded its presence on its home campus in Providence with shows and performances. The year was also marked by appearances at the Raunak cultural show at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as a top five finish at the Tamasha fusion dance competition in New York City.

In September 2006, Brown Badmaash expanded to 32 members by inducting ten new students into its ranks. Throughout the 2006–2007 school year, Brown Badmaash continued to perform at various shows at Brown University and around New England. Additionally, on May 4, 2007, Brown Badmaash hosted its first-ever dance show, titled Bring 'Em Out: Volume 1. The show, which attracted a sold-out audience to Salomon Hall on the Main Green, was a huge success and promises to become a yearly tradition for Brown Badmaash.