PISCATAWAY, NJ—Years ago, several young women at Rutgers came together with the dream of one day establishing an all-female bhangra dance team.

Now, this dream is a reality, after Nehriyan Bhangra became an official student organization at Rutgers University last year.

The team, which consists of thirty young women, including captains Harveen Kaur and Raman Kullar, is passionate about gracing the stage with their killer dance steps, as well as spreading the culture of Punjab, the region of India that this dance style comes from.

On Friday, October 17, the team has a performance coming up at the Rutgers University Paktoberfest , organized by the Pakistani Students Association (PSA), where their dancers will perform dance to a mix of songs.

The performance will include just six team members: Raman Kullar, Sonia Sheth, Ria Gulati, Shivani Gupta, Kanan Sharma, and Manvi Sharma.

According to captain Harveen Kaur, four of them will be new members, so that they “can get a feel for the stage.”

Paktoberfest, which serves as the PSA’s annual formal, will be held Friday, October 17, at 8pm in the Livingston Student Center’s multipurpose room at Rutgers University.

The event will feature food, games, and music from rising stars Ali Shafqat and Sam Hasan, as well as several performances by Rutgers groups including Nehriyan Bhangra and the Rutgers Bellydance troupe.

Tickets, which can be purchased at the door, are just $5 for Rutgers students and $7 for everyone else.

Proceeds will go towards the Thaakat foundation, whose mission is “to promote charitable giving among students and young professionals in the global community; to drive a movement of creative altruism, unparalleled giving and preservation of diversity and culture; to bring hands on volunteerism to our local communities and hope to our global society; and to create and maintain a diverse community that learns through multiple perspectives.”

Later this month the Nehriyan Bhangra team will have several other performances, including the Rangla Punjab Mela and the Robert Wood Johnson Wellness Fair.