Today we’d like to introduce you to Shemoni Parekh.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shemoni. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My mom is the founder and director of our dance academy. She has degrees in Microbiology and in Indian Classical dance from MS University Vadodara, India. She says, my birth was the inspiration for her transition from a science career and embrace dance as a full-time profession. She saw a gap in the cultural identity in Indian-American youth and started our academy to bring awareness of the rich cultural heritage of India through the medium of dance. Our academy journey began in the basement of our home in 1995.
As the years went on, the academy grew and she was able to transition from teaching in our home to renting some nearby studio space. Fast forward 23 years, our academy is located in our very own custom built 9,000 sq. ft. facility in Duluth, GA. We are now the premier Indian dance institution in the entire southeast United States! I was lucky to have been able to learn dance from my mom ever since I was two years old.
Dance has always been my passion and as I grew, it became an outlet from the stresses of academic and work life. I started teaching dance classes when I was 16 years old. Soon after, I began choreographing my own work and showcasing my choreographies at local events and community programs. As dance is an art, there is inherent instability in the field so my parents encouraged me to pursue an engineering path. I graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and worked as a consultant with IBM for two years prior to transitioning full-time to dance. In 2010, I took a team of my students to America’s Got Talent auditions in Atlanta, GA.
Our team was selected for the live show and we made it all the way to the Top 25 Wildcard Round out of 100,000 competing acts. Since then, I have led a Kruti team to the finals of Chak Dhoom Dhoom – an international dance reality TV show produced and broadcast in India, choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and choreographed the Kruti team participation in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
My most recent projects include the development of the script and in-front narration of a feature documentary on Bollywood musicals for Filmstruck – an online streaming service for classic and foreign films from Turner Broadcasting Service; and a PBA30’s Secret Atlanta mini-documentary highlighting the Kruti Dance Academy as an “Atlanta’s Hidden Treasure.”
Has it been a smooth road?
There is always struggle with growth. Initially, it was finances – how would we afford rent and support services. To cut costs we wore all hats – from cleaning the space to reception duties, to administration along with the choreography and teaching.
With our growth, we have been to hire help. However, there is a high dependency on my mother and myself for the essential functions of our academy – like class scheduling, enrollment, curricula development, and teaching. Here my engineering degree surprisingly has become valuable. I am using my analytical skills for determining our class scheduling, class load sizes and the performance of our social media presence.
Personally, I have a new challenge – I am a working mom. I have a 2 ½-year-old son.
Now the work-life balance is my challenge. Fortunately, I have a very supportive spouse, and we have adjusted our work schedules to be able to give full attention to our respective careers and also tend to our precious one.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kruti Dance Academy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Kruti Dance Academy has received international acclaim for its innovative Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dance choreography. Established in 1995, Kruti was created with a unique vision to create Indian cultural awareness among Indian American youth.
Today, Kruti Dance Academy exists as the nation’s premier Indian dance institution under the leadership of Founder and Director Mrs. Dina Sheth and Artistic Director Shemoni Parekh. Kruti Dance Academy is located in Atlanta, GA and conducts classes in a brand new 9,000 square foot state-of-the-art dance facility.
At Kruti, we take a 360-degree approach with our students. Our goal is to mold our students into wholesome young adults – who in addition to learning dance, develop attributes such as discipline, time management, public speaking, and leadership. We are proud of our many students who have secured admission in top universities across the country and who give Kruti credit for their spectacular achievements.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Our city is fast becoming a diverse cultural hotspot. It is a city where the rich local culture has been enhanced by migrants from northern parts of USA as well as from countries all over the world. It is wonderful to see people from different backgrounds live in harmony and enrich each other by contributing from their unique backgrounds.
We also have access to world-renowned infrastructure – our airport, our universities, sports arenas, and the broadband telecom networks. The belt-line initiative is also very exciting! On a personal note, I am a proud vegan and appreciate all of the fabulous vegans eats now available in our city!
If one thing could be changed – I’d prefer to have less traffic! But on the flip side, I am thankful for the priority given to alternative fuel vehicles. Hopefully, in the future, focus can be given to our roads and public transportation to avoid curtailing the growth of our fabulous city!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3250 Breckinridge Blvd, Suite 107,
Duluth Ga 30096 - Website: www.kruti.com
- Phone: 7702489928
- Email: info@kruti.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/krutidanceacademy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/krutidanceacademy
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/krutidance
Image Credit:
Gregory Job
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