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The Office for the Arts at Harvard reprimanded the undergraduate dance group Ghungroo over their use of the Agassiz Theatre during their 37th annual production last month, triggering a reconciliation process between the OFA and Ghungroo leadership.
The OFA first harshly criticized the dance group in a Feb. 27 email, alleging that Ghungroo members lied to OFA staff, snuck into the theater, misrepresented tickets, and left alcohol in dressing rooms following their four-show run.
In the email, OFA Manager of College Theater Dana Knox wrote that the members’ failure to attend strike — a mandatory cleanup after the show’s closing — could result in the group’s “disqualification” from residency at the Agassiz next year or a fine charged to the Harvard South Asian Association. Ghungroo has performed in Agassiz every year since at least 1993, with the exception of a virtual show in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The lack of effort and participation at strike, combined with incidents such as sneaking into the theater, lying directly to staff, passing and misrepresenting tickets, glitter scattered across the building, and, most concerning, alcohol found in the dressing rooms, have left us to seriously consider future involvement with this team,” Knox wrote in the Feb. 27 email.
Knox pointed to the glitter used in Ghungroo’s performance as particularly difficult to clean without help from the majority of the group’s more than 300 members.
“These actions are completely unacceptable and call into question the commitment and responsibility of the group as a whole,” he added. “The glitter required getting a large deep cleaning crew to restore the theater, and those costs will be passed along to the show, and will impact your organization’s profits from the show.”
However, both the OFA and the Ghungroo directors have since maintained that they continued to have a positive relationship. Ghungroo’s directors — Sreela Chowdhury ’26, Davina S. Komaravalli ’26, and Ashini A. Modi ’26 — wrote in a Mar. 3 statement that there was “really nothing notable to discuss” about the OFA’s email.
Following the OFA’s email, the Ghungroo leadership team explained the situation to its members and emphasized that “rules are rules — not suggestions, not optional — and they apply to all of us” in a Feb. 27 email to the show’s cast and crew.
Only 90 out of 315 Ghungroo cast members attended strike, the Ghungroo directors wrote. The email noted that the remaining 225 who did not attend strike were “required” to sign up for a makeup costume cleaning shift.
The directors wrote that some cast members watched the show without tickets, in violation of Agassiz policy. The directors also wrote that anyone who purchased or consumed alcohol would be expected to come forward in order to write an anonymous apology for the Agassiz staff.
“We promise you that no one will get in trouble because we recognize that coming forward is a very difficult thing to do,” the directors wrote in a follow-up email, thanking the students who had already come forward.
In their March 3 statement, Chowdhury, Komaravalli, and Modi doubled down on the group’s “strong and positive relationship” with the OFA.
“While we acknowledge that there were some incidents, they do not reflect the dedication and professionalism of our entire team,” they wrote. “These incidents have been addressed internally to ensure Ghungroo is able to maintain relationships with the Ag and put on a high-quality production in future years.”
The leaders attributed many of the initial issues to “managing a production of Ghungroo’s scale.” The directors also wrote that “the content of these discussions are not unique to this year.”
In the email to Ghungroo, Knox wrote that the OFA would be holding a Feb. 28 “Postmortem” meeting where members could “demonstrate their commitment to a better process.” Ghungroo’s directors wrote that the meeting was a success.
“We had a wonderful, open conversation with the Ag at our post-mort of the show, which was part of a yearly routine post-show debrief, where OFA and the Ag provided feedback to help enhance the production and ensure a smooth experience,” the undergraduate dance group’s directors wrote.
“Our relationship with the Ag remains strong, and this discussion will help keep the Ghungroo community thriving for years to come,” they added.
Knox praised the Ghungroo directors’ efforts to resolve the issue in a March 12 statement to The Crimson.
“The Leadership and many members of Ghungroo have been tremendously responsive and collaborative in dealing with OFA concerns and have acted swiftly to address all issues,” he wrote.
—Staff writer Anneliese S. Mattox can be reached at anneliese.mattox@thecrimson.com.
