Thrilling Evening of Dance
Arya International Dance Academy had its 4th annual recital in Atlanta with a mix of items performed by students from the two Atlanta locations of the school. The recital took place Sunday, May 14th at Meadow Creek High School. The emcees for the evening were Sonia C. Seernani and Jaya Malik, active dance instructors and managers from the Norcross and Marietta locations respectively.
The evening began with a hot item, Jhalak Dhiklaja, performed by the teenage students of the Norcross location. Many Bollywood items performed by students of all age groups followed. The youngest group was from the Norcross location and they performed Qatra Qatra along with their dance instructor, Sonia Seernani, a Bharatnatyam graduate. The Marietta group danced along with Jaya Malik, their instructor, to popular numbers such as Dhadak Dhadak. They also presented a mix of songs from classic films such as Dil To Pagal Hai. A classical piece, Kangana Re, performed by three young girls using classical steps, portrayed beauty .The Silent Killerz, a local dance group, gave a performance of the song Kajra Mohabbat Wala, which was choreographed by Prem Rehman and featured Sonia Seernani.
After preparing for a year, the students were remarkable and earned the enthusiastic applause of the audience. The costumes made the children look simply adorable, especially the younger ones, as they danced the evening away with one costume change after the other. "The costumes and makeup made the children look well-prepared and almost professional while they matched their smiling faces and dance numbers!" exclaimed one of the parents after the show. The teachers and students from both locations received applause and encouragement from the parents at the end of the show for their hard work and dedication in making the show a success. After receiving their trophies, the students handed gift bags with photo frames to their mothers as the recital took place on Mother's Day. This was simply a way of saying thanks to all the mothers who had helped backstage. The Academy thanked all those who volunteered their time towards the show.
Based in New Jersey with locations all around the U.S., Arya Dance Academy has been in Atlanta since 2002. Arya has plans to expand in the Atlanta metro region and to have their very own studio built in convenient locations for students and instructors. Rupal Patel, Managing Director of the Atlanta location, was also present at the recital. Sonia and Jaya both believe that it is one of their most satisfying jobs since dance has been their passion since they were small children themselves. The Arya Academy's belief and motto can be summed up as follows: Dance isn't a form; it's a way of life. It's not how you dance, it's what you feel when you move your body to a rhythm—that is where accomplishment, anger, joy, self confidence, and pride come into play.
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