I’m a second year student at UC Berkeley and was part of a Bollywood dance team called Azaad. We competed in a Bollywood dance circuit all over the United States. Last year, we went to Bollywood America in Phoenix, Arizona. Since Super Bowl 50 was hosted in the Bay Area this year, the casting directors were looking for dancers here to take part in the half-time show. We sent in our audition video and were the selected to be part of the show.
As field performers, we only had two weeks before the show to rehearse with the creative directors. Obviously, the creative process behind the whole performance took months and months to plan. One of the staff told us that it takes up to nine months to plan everything, from customizing props to tailoring costumes for the hundreds of people involved. But for the dancers and field casts, executing the vision was the final step of the process.
I was really happy to be a part of the pre-game ceremony, where I met the football players from the Broncos. It was so surreal listening to Lady Gaga sing the national anthem live while I was holding the American flag. The half-time show itself, to me, went by in seconds. I still can’t comprehend how a 15-minute show flew by so fast. It was all a blur. Even though we had dress rehearsals three days in a row prior to the show, the actual performance was super exciting for me.
#SB50 #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/rnbutevhgU
— Coldplay (@coldplay) February 8, 2016
Watching Beyonce and Bruno Mars from the sideline was amazing, but I think listening to Coldplay’s finale song, "Fix You," was probably the highlight of it all. It was the first time that I had seen the card stunt “Believe in Love”—said to be celebrating LGBT love—and that was when I just lost it. To be on the field, watching this collective effervescence happen around me was such a magical moment.
Aside from meeting my all-time favorite artists, what kept going through my mind during the show was how blessed I was to be standing out there on the same field with them. It was surreal how so many different things had to fall in place for me to be there. What if I hadn’t chosen to come to the US three years ago? What if I had attended a different university? What if I had decided not to join this Bollywood dance team? What if the Super Bowl wasn’t in the Bay? Then I wouldn’t have had this adventure of a lifetime. It’s all about timing and opportunities. I think it’s easy to forget about the privilege that you have everyday, so I’m just truly grateful for experience.
Definitely the first dress rehearsal last Wednesday when we got to meet all the artists. We were so starstruck that we’d be freaking out or screaming any time they waved at us or talked to us. I remember when Beyonce touched this girl’s forearm and her prop, the poor—or lucky—girl just collapsed on the floor. But for most of the time, I think we just had to be very flexible since there was a lot of rushing around to get to places, and then waiting around for a long time for things to happen.
[Laughs] No, it was a volunteer position but the experience was priceless.
