Bollywood dance academy launches their first winter recital
On Sunday, Dec. 19, the most popular Bollywood dance school in the entire Chicago area, S R Dance Academy, held their first winter recital at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
Rita and Anshika Singh launched the academy at the start of the pandemic as a way for both kids and adults to get active while needing to stay indoors.
Rita Singh is an incredibly creative entrepreneur, investor, and community leader based in Chicago. Her brand, S R, houses a variety of her own companies that fall under the domains of IT staffing, real estate, and entertainment. Her daughter, Anshika Singh, is a technology consultant at a Fortune 500 company. She is also a Purdue graduate, former Femina Miss India finalist, and talented dancer. All their classes were initially taught virtually over Zoom for the first 12 months to ensure the safety of all students. As quarantine was lifted throughout 2021, the students slowly moved to dancing in studios, while taking the safety precautions of social distancing and wearing masks.
Now, S R Dance Academy has five studio locations all over the Chicago area. Students are taught dance classes in Naperville, Bartlett, Schaumburg, Riverwoods, and Libertyville by two celebrity Bollywood choreographers, Elizar and Shirley Rodrigues, who have been working in Bollywood for the past 20 years. They have worked side by side with iconic superstars such as Hrithik Rosha, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, and many more. They have even performed at highly exclusive events, such as the IIFA Awards.
Since the choreographers and students were fortunately able to meet in person to practice the dances, the S R team thought it would be an extraordinary experience for the students to perform and showcase what they've been learning on a live stage. After weeks of strategic planning, costume fittings, multiple dress rehearsals, and more, the team was able to put on a sensational recital to an audience of over 350 people. The event was emceed by Richa Chand along with Rita Singh and Anshika Singh.
There were 23 different performances at the recital this past Sunday. Students from all five locations and age groups 4-7, 8-11, 12-21, and adults had the opportunity to perform the dances they had been learning and practicing for several months. The students danced to many popular Bollywood songs, varying from upbeat tempos to soft melodies. Seeing the immense happiness in their eyes as they stood up on that grand stage was simply heartwarming.
The colorful LED backdrop, bright lights, and talented dancers caused the crowd to go wild in excitement. It was truly a wonderful experience and overall a very successful recital. Parents were mesmerized with the amazing dance performances done by their own kids. Definitely, it is a challenging task for the parents to ensure the safety of their children as they join in-person dance lessons and perform in public. S R Dance Academy takes extra precautions to follow the pandemic guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all students and their parents.
A successful winter recital was yet another tassel to S R Dance Academy's long list of credentials. For more information, please contact 1-833-888-3262 or info@srdanceacademy.com. Visit srdanceacademy.com.