The MSU College of Law Diversity Services Office and MSU Asian Studies Center also sponsored the event.

The performance was just one part of Indian Night, which also featured a sitar and tabla drum performance and traditional Indian foods.

Diwali, which officially begins Wednesday, is a five-day celebration marking the start of a the Hindu new year and is celebrated as the Indian festival of lights.

APALSA President Reshma Sambare said other events celebrating Diwali had taken place on campus in the past, but this year was the first time the College of Law had hosted anything.

East Lansing resident Veena Mandrekar, who lived in Pune, India, a metropolitan area near Mumbai, until she was 12, shared memories of Diwali celebrations with her family. She said people across the country light lamps and worship Hindu gods and goddesses to mark the celebration.

Diwali celebrations vary depending on the region, but the vanquishing of evil and the triumph of goodness is the overarching theme, she said.

“Everything is different and (yet) so much the same,” she said.

The dancers at the event, students of Okemos-based classical Indian dance instructor and choreographer Sandhya Athmakuri, danced to a selection of Indian songs, taking the audience of 100 on a musical tour from southern India to northern India.

Athmakuri said classical Indian dance has moved “from temple to theater” as Indians view it as both a type of devotion but also a performance art.

Athmakuri said preparing for the classical Indian dance requires the passion and commitment to learn the intricate body movements and facial expressions. Each dance tells a story of Indian history and folklore, some following the story of Hindu gods Shiva and Krishna, Athmakuri said.