Chicago’s Bollywood dance academy launches annual winter recital

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On Sunday December 19, 2021, the S R Dance Academy, considered one of the most popular dance schools for the Indian community, held their first ever Annual Winter Recital at the prestigious Hemmens Cultural Center.

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, a press release from Asian Media USA said.

Rita Singh, an entrepreneur, investor, and community leader based in Chicago, recognized under her brand, S R, owns a  variety of her 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.

Because of the pandemic, all their classes were initially taught virtually over Zoom for the first 12 months to ensure the safety of all students. In 2021 it was a different story with the lifting of  the quarantine, and 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 5 studio locations all over the Chicagoland area- Naperville, Bartlett, Schaumburg, Riverwoods, and Libertyville, and where teachers incude two  Bollywood choreographers, Elizar and Shirley Rodrigues,  who have worked side-by-side with stars such as Hrithik Rosha, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, and many more, the press release said.

Because the choreographers and students were 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 live on stage and showcase what they’ve been learning.

More than 350 people attended the first annual event which 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 5 locations and age groups 4-7, 8-11, 12-21, and adults performed 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.

The performances were embellished by a colorful LED backdrop and bright lights, and parents attending the event were appreciative of the learning and performance of their children.