The thirteenth annual ‘Kings of Gaana’ took place at Troxy on 14th December, organised by King’s College London’s. British Tamil comedian Kutti Hari and broadcaster Nisha Nisanthan hosted the world’s largest inter-university Gaana competition.
This year, two charities were chosen: Serendip Children’s Home and Rural Development Organisation. Founded in 2009, Serendip Children’s Home is a UK registered charity which supports vulnerable children, women and elders. Rural Development Organisation is a registered charity based in London providing financial support for higher education to children from underprivileged families and assisting individuals affected by the civil war.
Eight universities competed in the grand finale: Cardiff University, City University of London, University of Warwick, University of Cambridge, Queen Mary University, Aston University, St George’s University of London and University College London.These performances were punctuated with exhibition acts: violinist Laksan, and Iyam, a group of upcoming artists including violinist Laksan, Uthayaraj on pads, Angelo on keyboard Sharma on mridangam and vocalist Ajitha.
This year Kings of Gaana was judged by three Tamil dancers: Dr Praveena Pranavarooban, Amir Joseph John Xavier and Vinushan.
Dr Praveena Pranavarooban has taken part in Kings of Gaana in 2017 and 2018. A professionally trained Bharathanatyam dancer, she has completed her Post Diploma in Bharathanatyam. Praveena is working as a GP for the NHS. Amir Joseph John Xavier is an accredited dance choreographer and actor from Ooty, India. He has worked extensively in the Tamil film industry, the winner of season one of Vijay TV’s Kings of Dance and a finalist in season five of Bigg Boss. Vinushan is a member of dance team NBA Berlin, performing at Mega Maalai 2023 and opening as an exhibition act for composer Anirudh’s concert.
A recurring theme between all the universities’ performances this year was film star turned politician Vijay; every group either centered their theme on one of his films or incorporated many of his songs and film dialogues into their routine.
2017’s champions University of Warwick based their performance on 2019’s sports-action Vijay starrer ‘Bigil,’ kitted out in the football jerseys from the film. Their performance was extremely fluid and well thought out, incorporating various plot points within their choreography, as well as some impressive acrobatics.
Another Vijay film inspired the second place winners Queen Mary’s University who chose 2017’s action thriller ‘Mersal.’ The team stunned the audience with their energetic choreography which incorporated acrobatics and silambattam.
St George’s University were championed Kings of Gaana, winning for their 2011 Suriya starrer ‘7aum Arivu’ inspired routine. With impeccable formations, use of levels, a fantastic set piece with a net, fiery ‘rakshasa’ expressions and innovative prop work, St George’s University took home a well deserved victory.
The St George’s University team shared their thoughts on their win:
“One of the biggest challenges we faced with this whole process was finding the right concept. Kings of Gaana has been going for a long, long time; so to be able to choose something that’s never been done before as well as something that was hard-hitting and could connect to the audience was tough.”
“We went through a lot of challenges: sleepless nights, a lot of injuries. But we pushed through and the hard work paid off.”
