Naach Ball. What is it? Where is it? When is it?

“An event where people from different high schools come together, dressed in traditional Indian clothing, and spend the evening dancing and having fun,” sophomore Diya Khetan said.

“Naach is a party that celebrates Indian culture and heritage by people dressing up in traditional Indian clothing and dancing to Indian music,” sophomore Shreya Mahawar said.

The Naach Ball is an event hosted by Clarksburg Naach, a club started in 2018 at Clarksburg High School. Ever since then, students have carried on the biannual tradition of hosting a Naach Ball at Clarksburg. These balls are usually held in May and December, and welcome students of all backgrounds to experience Indian culture. “Whether you’re Indian, South Asian or not, Naach is a really fun experience that I would recommend to anyone,” Khetan said.

Similarly, junior Aryan Thakker said, “I’d say my favorite part is meeting new people who share the same culture and being able to embrace my culture at an event.”

In previous years, tickets have been sold at the door. However, this year an online payment system through SchoolCash Online has been implemented. Tickets are highly coveted, and consequently the tickets for December Naach sold out within a week of going on sale. This year, attendees were required to provide physical forms of identification and approval from their school administrator, as well guardian signatures. “I thought that part of the registration process was a little unnecessary, in particular the part that required the signature of a principal or administrator. Otherwise, I think getting a parent signature and some contact information to attend was perfectly reasonable,” Khetan said.

The crowd cheered on high school dance teams from Clarksburg, Seneca Valley, Blair, Damascus and Northwest as they performed Indian dances. “My favorite part was dancing with my friends and watching performances. My least favorite part was getting pushed by people when dancing,” Mahawar said.

“[My] least favorite part is not having a variety of different activities to participate in,” Thakker said.

The attire for this event is cultural wear, which offers students an opportunity to share their cultural pride through their outfits. “I think that cultural Indian wear is really unique and I really enjoyed seeing it on a diverse group of people,” sophomore Aanya Kapoor said.

However, the food left more to be desired. “I was disappointed that the only Indian food available was samosas. It would have been nice if they had other Indian foods like pani puri,” Khetan said.

“I think they did a good job providing food and water this time,” Kapoor said.