This post was written by Hatchet reporter Enni Aigbomian.

Student performers came together Tuesday for the Relay for Life International Charity Show hosted by GW Rangeela – a student dance team dedicated to promoting South Asian culture through traditional dance.

Funds raised through donations at the charity event benefited Relay for Life, a worldwide event organized by the American Cancer Society to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients. GW Relay for Life has raised more than $28,900 so far this year, according to its website.

GW Rangeela choreographer and the event’s organizer Juhee Jain, a senior, said the goal of the charity event was to spark student interest in such an important cause.

“We knew there’s already a lot of involvement, so we thought if we did Relay for Life, we’d have a lot of people come out to support the cause,” Jain, who is also a Hatchet photographer, said.

“I think it made the event meaningful,” Jain said. “Instead of just saying, ‘We’re raising money,’ we educated the audience about what it’s really about. We had someone who was directly affected by cancer speak so it put things into perspective.”

Special guests Raagapella, Stanford University’s all-male South Asian focused a cappella group, performed a unique mix of songs that featured fusion of popular Hindi music and mainstream artists such as Usher.

Other performances included a salsa number by GW Ballroom, music by the GW Vibes, a belly dance performance by freshman Yasmine Zinbi, a tango performance by Kirena Dillon, spoken word poetry by 2011 alumna Nana Adu-Krow and Bollywood-style dances by hosts GW Rangeela.

The variety of styles reflected the event’s international theme, which Jain said emphasizes the widespread affect that cancer has on the world.

“Cancer doesn’t just affect one race, it affects everyone,” she said.