Oh what a wonderful journey for our SDA Winter 2022 Semester attendees- through the valleys of Kashmir, fields of Punjab, markets of Maharashtra and backwaters of Kerala, we were so excited to welcome our SDA families on an incredible journey through our beautiful India, where we captured the traditions and culture of our vibrant land through what we know best. Dance.
After a fantastic Spring Showcase at Nimbus Art Center in May 2022, our wonderful performers were back with yet another spectacular showcase. Not just of their dancing skills, but their confidence, passion, teamwork and enthusiasm. Fall 2023 was a short and challenging semester with lots of holidays and the relentless viral season. But our 200+ students managed to brace all odds and put together this spectacular showcase for each and everyone of you. Our audience of over 450 people, was transported to their childhood memories of Indian train rides, chugging along different regions, and enjoying their intrinsic dance forms. From Bhangara to Tollywood, from Garba to Kathak, from Ghoomar to Bharatnatyam. And of course Bollywood!

Our first group were the Bharatnatyam students led by Ms Aditi. Invoking the blessings of the Goddess with the soul stirring chant of Aigiri Nandini, the dancers amazed everyone with their utmost grace and talent. Our beautiful Bharatnatyam dancers wowed everyone with their stance, moves and perfection. Next came Ms Shen’s cute little dancers from Newport Bollywood I who wowed everyone with a beautiful Garba number Dholida. Dressed in elegant white and red traditional pavada, Ms Mahi’s Millburn Bollywood I dancers took everyone on a train ride from Kashmir, all the way to Kanyakumari with the foot tapping number from Chennai Express. It was by far the cutest performance in the 3pm show. Next came Ms Anushya’s dancers from Waldo School to groove to the fun Bollywood track Chor Bazari, exploring through the sounds and sights of New Delhi. Following them were the absolutely adorable bunch of kids from Ms Suvarna’s Edgewater Bollywood I group who made the audience go Dhooa Udae and Seeti Bajaye.

Their performance was met with incessant oohs and aahs. Next on stage were Ms Mahi’s Millburn Bollywood II students who brought some Punjabi dhamaal into the auditorium with the popular Bhangra track, Nagada Baja. Their energy and smiles won everyone’s hearts. After some Punjabi Tashan, came some Gujarati swag from Ms Shen’s choras and choris from Stevens River School with the most popular Garba track Kamariya. Our lil Stevens River kids made us so proud.

Then came our latest addition to our list of after school dance clubs.. Hoboken Catholic Academy. How sweet is love ? Ms Anushya’s little dancing stars answered in true Bhangra style to Gud Naal Ishq Mitha. What came next is a group we are extremely proud of and a dance style we are in love with. Our Pre Juniors are our special group of talented and passionate dancers who are handpicked to perform and compete. Our lil ladies showed us how the love of setting ourselves free and owning oneself can be portrayed through this beautiful contemporary dance form taught by Ms Vaishnavi.

Changing gears from soulful to high-energy, Millburn Bollywood III, led by Ms Prachi, brought the roof down with another fun-loving Bhangra track … Dil Bole Hadippa. Our 7-10 year olds showed us the true passion and energy of Bhangra in their fabulous outfits. Our SDA Express then took a turn into the gorgeous desert landscapes of Kutch where Ms Shen’s little Aishwaryas floored the audience with their thumkas as they danced to Nimbooda Nimbooda. Their outfits and grace almost gave off Ms. Aishwarya like qualities.

This semester SDA was proud to introduce Kathak as one of our dance forms. Our gorgeous youth and women from Millburn showcased their footwork and chakkars to the soulful track of Mitwa, taught by Ms Prachi. From classical to Bollywood, our SDA Express then took a turn towards the vibrant state of Rajasthan where our Edgewater Bollywood II divas and lone rockstar swooned to the folk tune of Bawre with their BollyHop routine.

Next on stage were Ms Shen’s little Bachhans and Zeenats or should we say SRKs and PCs from Newport Bollywood II taking everyone on a ride for some Banarasi paan and some retro magic. This group of kids brought the house down with their coordination and swag. Adding to the Bollywood style entertainment were our beautiful Radhas and our dashing little Kanhaiya from Stevens Newport who came all the way from the historic city of Vrindavan to dance to the lilting tunes of Woh Kisna Hai with a high energy twist. Our final act of the first show was spectacular. Our Hip Hop II crew create magic and fire on stage with equal ease led by our hip-hop expert Mr. Chinmay. These kids never cease to amaze us on stage.

Our 5pm show was another eclectic blend of dance forms starting with our Garba contingent who performed at Diwali at Times Square transporting everyone to the heart of Gujarat with a traditional routine. Their twirls and traditional garba moves had us all dancing in our seats. This was followed by the Nimbus Kathak group led by Ms. Prachi, in gorgeous blue anarkalis, performing to the soulful song Qafirana. They followed up their graceful kathak moves with a beautiful presentation that certainly showed us how much they had grasped this semester. Changing gears and taking you to the beautiful mountains of Kashmir were our youngest batch of performers - Ms Anushya’s BGC Bollywood Beginners. Their rendition of Bhumro was adorable and their cute little sky blue outfits were our absolute favorite.

Next, our Rajasthani dancers from HCA who floored everyone with their Ghoomar skills taught by Ms. Anushya. These girls were not only passionate about sharing their routine but also their artistic skills with the audience by painting their own tea lights/diyas. Getting back to some cuteness quotient, we had another group of our littlest performers who worked on their Garba skills to wow the audience - Ms Anushya’s Nimbus Bollywood Beginners. Their trendy ghagras and side ponytails grabbed everyone’s attention and brought a smile to everyone’s face. Burning the stage with some desi swag were Ms. Vaishnavi’s Nimbus Bollywood II who won hearts with their all time favorite song Kala Chashma.

We then headed back to Gujarat but this time with a hip hop twist. Our BGC Bollywood I dancers showcased their garba hop skills in this next performance taught by Ms Anushya. But we were not done with Gujarat yet. Our little women from BGC Bollywood 3 came up next with a traditional Garba routine led by Ms Adit to the tunes of Nagada Sang Dhol. Going tapori ishtyle next were Ms Aditi’s BGC Bollywood II performers who echoed our current feeling…. Mainu Chadiya Dance ka Bhoot chadiya! This Bollywood II group always seems to know how exactly to amaze us.

Who came in next? Oh! Ala re Ala Simba Alaaaaaa! Our two Simbas and cute mulgis from Nimbus Bollywood I entertained everyone on this fun track taught by Ms Anushya and Mr. Bhaskar. Everyone just loved their heart warming performance.Ms Anushya’s PS16 Annex Punjabi gabrus and soni kudis came in next for a high energy Bhangra number. These students managed to pack in the punch with this wonderful choreography. Our PS16 Bollywood I students made everyone’s hearts flutter with their rendition of the popular and fun track Tattad Tattad in true Ranveer Singh Ishtyle. Bringing in some folk vibes were Ms Shen’s PS16 Bollywood II with their dazzling outfits, colorful scarves and some cool moves followed by PS 16 Bollywood II with the iconic song Chaiyya Chaiyya.

When the North is rocking the stage how can the South stay far behind? Mr Bhaskar’s Hip Hop I crew came in next with some Tollywood masala and an inspiring finale. These kids made their challenging routine so easy. The showcase ended with a special treat. Our SDA company dancers performed a blend of various genres of dance including Kathak, Folk, Hip Hop and of course Bollywood dance to make sure the audience left with a big bright smile and a love for dance in their hearts.

A considerable amount of effort goes into putting forth a showcase of this magnitude and it is impossible for the show to go on without the monumental support of our volunteers and crew backstage. We would not be here without Anjuli Garg and Laxmi Tandra and their unending support to SDA, Krupa Jani for her attention to detail and Nisha Patel for her tireless toiling behind the scenes. We would also like to thank MS4 for giving our Winter 2022 Showcase a home. Special mention for the Principal and Vice Principal of MS4 for their support, the MS4 Student Teach Crew for managing the lights, sounds and stage.

Our sincerest gratitude to our teammate Mr. Chinmay for handling the tech for our Winter Showcase 2022. Our talented and hardworking official photographer Ms. Delia from Eslatata has done a beautiful job capturing the emotions of our students. We are so thankful for her dedication to role and her patience with our students. We would like to thank our sponsors- British Swim School, Alphaminds Academy, You4Yoga and our partner BuzyBugs. We are very excitred to have teamed up with the dynamic duo of Dreams Alive who provided the beautiful backdrop for our group pictures and the simple yet elegant decor for our stage. Lastly, huge shout out to Zango Now for providing treats to all our performers. We appreciate all our sponsors and appreciate their support.

DREAMS ALIVE WITH THE SDA EXPRESS BACKDROP

Thank you SDA families for all your love and encouragement and for showing up every week with a smile on your face and making our day. We would like to give a huge shout out to the entire SDA team for toiling tirelessly this semester and making sure each and every one of their students gets the attention they need during their sessions and motivating them on and off stage. Each one of our teammates brings in his or her own style, energy, ideas and creativity to SDA and we are so proud and blessed to have them as part of our SDA family. Lastly, we would like to thank you all for making our Fall 2022 semester and the SDA Express showcase a huge success.

Happy Holidays and we cannot wait to see you in 2023!

Updates

Hop on aboard the SDA Express - SDA’s Winter Showcase 2022