Geeta and her students Shirin, Angel, and Deepa
as seen on NBC's South Florida Today.

Bollywood Dancing

The new craze of dancing that has taken the world by storm. This eclectic dance combines Indian classical fused with western contemporary forms of Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Ballroom. Bollywood dances have evolved as a unique and energetic style. Hindi Film Dancing is finally arriving in the mainstream entertainment field worldwide and this diverse style of dance will soon be the latest trend on the dance floor.

Kathak

One of the seven forms of Indian Classical Dance is Kathak. It Originated from North India. Its origins can be traced to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks or story tellers. These bards performing in village squares and temple courtyards, mostly specialized in recounting mythological and moral tales from the scriptures, and embellished their recitals with hand gestures and facial expressions, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures to enliven the stories

Bharat Natyam

It is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. Today Bharat Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all over India. Due to its wide range of movements and postures and the balanced blend of the rhythmic and mimetic aspects lends itself well to experimental and fusion choreography. Bharat Natyam is always performed with the knees of the dancers bent. The dance form emphasizes on the hand gestures or Mudras to convey different kinds of emotions to the spectator.

Bhangra

The traditional form of dance from the Indian State of Punjab. This dance is performed to the beat of the drum or "dhol" and takes its movements from the harvest festivals in Punjab. Bhangra is commonly performed at weddings, birthdays, and other social gatherings.

Garba

Traditionally performed during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujrat region. It is more similar to Western folk dance than to the presentational style of Indian classical dances such as Bharat Natyam and Kathak. Modern Garba is also heavily influenced by Raas a dance traditionally performed by men.

Dandia Raas

Men and women dance in two circles with sticks in their hands, in Dandia Raas. In the old times Raas did not involve much singing; just the beat of Dhol was enough. "Dandias" or sticks are about 18" long. Each dancer holds two. Generally, in a four beat rhythm, opposite sides hit the sticks at the same time, creating a nice sound. One circle goes clockwise and another counter clockwise. The merger of Garba and Dandiya Raas has formed the high-energy dance that is seen today.

Both men and women usually wear colorful costumes while performing Garba and Dandiya. The girls and the women wear a ghagra choli, a three-piece dress traditionally made of cotton with beads, shells, mirrors, and embroidery work, and a scarf like dupatta tucked in the Gujarati manner. Boys and men traditionally wore kafni pajamas with a kediyu - a short round kurta - above the knees and pagadi on the head with bandhini dupatta.