“This isn’t Hollywood,” he said breathlessly, mouthing the words of the song. “It’s Bollywood!”

Months of practice and preparation by the hundreds of students involved will culminate tonight, when the annual showcase of Indian heritage opens at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium.

“It’s like a burst of culture,” said Divya Nigam, a human biology junior and dancer in the show. “There’s just a lot of energy and it shows when they perform.”

Hosted by the Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students for the past 20 years, the theme of this year’s show is YATRA: Embrace your Culture. Embrace Yourself.

Lionel Clements, a first-time performer and biochemistry and molecular biology junior, said he decided to participate to remain involved in Indian culture. His family moved to the U.S. from India about five years ago.

“I try to be involved in every Indian thing I can,” he said. “It’s a part of me, Indian culture, and I don’t want to lose it being in America.”

About 2,000 people are expected to fill the seats of the Auditorium for Satrang, one of the largest student-run productions at MSU. Dancers clad in traditional Indian attire will present 11 dances, each of which highlights the culture of a different state in India, coordinator Samrita Vairde said.

Classic dancing and music will mix with more modern hip-hop style performances that fuse Indian and American musical influences.

“Each state has its own language, its own dance, its own food,” she said. “Each group demonstrates that culture.”

Dancer and human biology freshman Shivani Rami said the event is a way for students to see Indian culture firsthand.

“Even if you don’t know what’s going on, you just want to get out of your seat and dance because it’s just so upbeat,” she said. “Even if you’re not Indian, it’s a good experience to see what we do.”