2023: Our Year In Review

Over the past year, our bollywood dance studio has been filled with wonderful memories as we take a moment to reflect.

We were thrilled to receive an invitation to perform at the Cherry Blossom Festival. When I initially launched the studio, I often thought, "Wow, it would be amazing for our students to showcase their talents at the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's right in our backyard, specific to the DMV." Consequently, I applied almost every year. Finally, in 2020, we got the opportunity, but then COVID-19 happened. So when they asked us again this year, we were ecstatic.

Some of our students even took the stage at the United States Pentagon for the second year in a row to celebrate different cultures. We were a great representation of South Asian heritage and left attendees in awe.

Celebrating local talent, two of our classes excelled in the KAGW Talent Time 2023 competition. Our classes put on a stellar competitive performance. Our Adult class brought home second place! And can I just say that our adult class is so fun? Some of them have danced before, some haven’t. They’re just doing this every week to have some fun and something for themselves. This is an outlet for them. And then they brought home SECOND PLACE. Additionally, kudos to our teens class who brought home FIRST place! As their instructor at the time, I was and am a tough teacher, I’ve been known to push, but they put in the work, and I couldn't be more proud.

This was the first time since we opened in 2014 that I have not been teaching, which was definitely weird for me. I stopped teaching for a little bit at the end of 2019, but then Covid hit in March 2020 and I’ve been teaching ever since. So this was very bittersweet for me. I definitely missed teaching my teens class, especially a few of my former students that moved up. But it was also nice to see our studio and classes from a step back and really just enjoy it.

Excitingly, we expanded by opening a new location in Frederick, MD. So we have been up and running with two classes - kids and adults for a little over a month and hope to see both classes, if not more, at our Spring show in May!

Connecting with the local dance community was a highlight as we welcomed guest instructors from the area to lead workshops, each bringing their unique styles and graciously sharing them with our community.

It was heartwarming to see two of our former students return as instructors this Fall. They were once dancing on stages as our students, and now, they have their own students taking on the stage. This was a complete full circle for me, seeing them as high schoolers and the next time they walked through our doors, they were teachers.

The demand for our classes grew so much that we had to split one of our adult classes into two. Bittersweet for our students, but we wanted to ensure that students were receiving the attention they deserved.

As we navigate through the ups and downs, facing challenges and celebrating victories, we're eagerly looking forward to what 2024 has in store. Cheers to fostering the Zind community, reaching more dance enthusiasts, nurturing confidence, and forging lifelong friendships. We’re grateful that we’re able to provide a safe space for our students (kids - adults) where they can build their confidence, make new friends, and do something they genuinely enjoy. At the end of the day, we’re trying to make life a little bit better through dance.

If you are looking to try something new in 2024 or get back to doing something you love to do, check out our class or workshop schedule. No prior experience necessary. As long as you love to dance, we'd love to have you!