Bollywood Dance Club brings Indian culture to Ladue through a variety of performances. Five students performed at Old Bonhomme elementary “Passport Night” March 6 and at the Ladue Early Childhood Center cultural festival March 7.

“The purpose of Bollywood Dance Club is to spread Indian dance culture throughout our community and share the energy and style of Bollywood dancing with others,” Eshaa Deore (11) said.

Members show expertise in various forms of dance by blending different styles.

“Bollywood dance is a fusion of traditional Indian dance, folk dances like garba and western styles like hip-hop, jazz and contemporary dance,” Nevinka Amarakone (12) said.

Members spend hours practicing for performances to perfect the steps. Although it’s a struggle at first to coordinate everyone, everything worked out in the end.

“As the performance gets closer, we tend to practice more so everyone feels confident and ready,” Deore said.

The club has also built a close community through practices and performances.

We even [practice] after school at each other’s houses before going to the performance,” Amarakone said. “We’ve gotten to know each other very well, so BDC is pretty tight knit. We have fun practicing and helping each other out with moves.”

The club performs at Old Bonhomme every year. However, it was their first time performing at LECC cultural festival, so they didn’t know what to expect. 

“Their passport night was bustling with food, energy, and various cultural stands. We even got to teach the little kids a step of our dance for Bole Chudiyan which was super fun and interactive,” Amarakone said.

Their performances still continue with two performances coming up.

“We have an upcoming performance at Spoede Elementary for their Passport Night, and we’ll also be performing at Rams Around the World,” Deore said.