Wilco Bollywood dance group set to perform at NBA game

Williamson County dancers from the Muqabala Dance School and Tej Dance School are going to perform Saturday, February 7, at the San Antonio Spurs’s basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks. 

The performance will be a mix of South and North Indian dancing to music taken from Bollywood cinema. The Frost Bank Center holds a capacity of 18,000 people, and the game will be aired live on TV and online. 

Muqabala Dance School offers Indian dance classes in various locations including Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander and Pflugerville. In 2023 and 2024, the Muqabala Dance School performed at the Red Poppy Festival. 

Tej Dance School is based in Liberty Hill. 

“I think this is the biggest performance that we have done, because otherwise we've been [pretty much] doing only locally,” said Sharmili Sitharthan, the director of choreography at Muqabala. 

Ms. Sitharthan said she has always dreamt of dancing in a stadium for a half time or pre show. She has been dancing all of her life and it makes her very happy. 

“It's been my dream and passion to teach different students and then perform different dances,” she said. 

There are 32 dancers taking part in the pre-game performance. 

“[This is] an amazing performance opportunity, and it's also going to be an amazing experience for me,”

Shankar Palaniyandi has been dancing with the school for a year and a half. He is a DJ and created the song mix for the upcoming performance using audio clips from Bollywood movies. The performance will be quick — only 2-and-a-half minutes long  — and Mr. Palaniyandi made sure the audio clips align well. 

“[I’m] very excited. There are no nerves or anything,” Mr. Palaniyandi said. “But of course, I mean, once we get there, there will be a bit of nervousness.”

The performance will be at exactly 5 p.m. and can be watched on Amazon Prime, DirectTV Stream, FanDuel Sports and Fubo right before the game.