Last week marked a momentous occasion in the world of entertainment as Netflix unveiled its highly anticipated TV series, “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,” accompanied by a star-studded premiere that left audiences spellbound. Among the premiere attendees were Priyanka J. Vora, founder & director ofRangeela Dance Company (RDC), as well as actor and RDC dancer, Nishant Ghan, who were eager to witness the intersection of art and storytelling on display in Los Angeles.
During the premiere, attendees participated in a Q&A session with the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, moderated by Lilly Singh. Bhansali shared insightsinto his creative process and the themes that inspired Heeramandi. As he spoke of the importance of following one’s creative instincts and staying true to one’s vision, it struck a chord with the Rangeela team, whose own work is guided by a similar ethos. Ghan commented “the event was just as grand as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films are. And when the collaboration is between him and Netflix, it was like Bollywood was given a grand welcome by Hollywood.”
For Rangeela Dance Company, the vision is clear: to create art that not only entertains but also inspires and moves audiences on a deep emotional level. Like the director of Heeramandi, who aimed to revive the vibrancy and intricacy of a historical era, Rangeela works to capture the essence of various cultures and traditions through the art of dance which can be seen in their Jhume Ri Gori Video, created by our RDC Director and inspired by Mr. Bhansali’s work in “Gangubai Kathiawadi.” Vora commented, “it was incredibly inspiring to hear Mr. Bhansali speak about his struggle with calling it quits during the grueling editing process for Heeramandi. This resonated with me so well as I, too, get deeply involved in every detail of my productions and it can be hard to take a step back and realize that the project is finally ready for the world to see. Mr. Bhansali has inspired me to always dream big with all my aspects of my creative work.”
At the premiere, Vora and Ghan also had the opportunity to meet Tesher, whose music they have covered extensively in their performances. They discussed how evergreen Tesher’s “Jalebi Baby” has been, as it continues to be the top choice request by wedding clients for Sangeet choreography. Thismoment highlighted the power of music and art to bring people together.
Other notable appearance at the premiere was Sharmin Segal, Mr. Bhansali’s niece and one of the actresses in Heeramandi.
As Heeramandi continues to captivate audiences around the world, it serves as a reminder of the transformative power of storytelling and the universal language of emotion. For Rangeela Dance Company, it is a testament to the enduring legacy of artists who follow their creative instincts and share their vision with the world.
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in dance education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Priyanka Vora, Founder of Rangeela Dance Company, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What’s your business, and who are your customers?
Rangeela Dance Company (RDC) is one of the nation’s leading South Asian dance companies. I founded RDC in 2016; I am a trained classical Indian dancer and Bollywood dance choreographer. RDC is based in Seattle and Los Angeles but provides dance services globally. Our mission is to cultivate a community that celebrates and shares South Asian culture through the form of Indian dance. We were the first full-service Bollywood dance company to exist in the Pacific Northwest and have been recognized by prestigious platforms such as the Smithsonian Institute.
Rangeela’s vision is to make dance accessible to all individuals. We provide group and private dance classes for adults and kids, performing & visual arts for special events, and private choreography services for special events such as weddings. Our talented group of instructors and dancers have professional expertise in a variety of styles ranging from Bollywood, Bhangra, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Kuthu, Semi-Classical, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, Garba, and more.
Tell us about yourself
I am the founder and director of Rangeela. I am a Bollywood fusion dance choreographer, originally from Boston, MA, where I trained classically in Bharatnatyam and completed the prestigious dance graduation, Arangetram, at age 16. I developed a passion not only for classical Indian dance but also for Bollywood, Semi-Classical, Folk, Garba, Modern dance, and wedding/special events choreography. I have a special interest in directing and producing high-scale video features and live stage performances and lead RDC’s vision behind these productions. My experience as Captain of my competitive South Asian Fusion dance team in college, where I organized and choreographed several dance charity showcases and judged national dance competitions, has led me to have the skills to start my own venture. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy (Board-Certified Specialist in Pelvic & Women’s Health) and certified group fitness instructor, I promote preventative health, wellness, and the arts in the community. After moving to Seattle in 2016, I founded Rangeela Dance Company to continue my passion for dancing, teaching, choreographing, and performing with the aim of spreading awareness about the vibrant Indian culture.
What’s your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is knowing that I have happy instructors, dancers, students, and clients who are making their dance dreams come true through Rangeela. I also am so proud of RDC for sticking true to our mission of preserving and sharing our rich Indian culture.
What’s one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing about being a business owner is balancing the company’s financial constraints with making our dance dreams come true.
What are the top tips you’d give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Never give up, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and dream big.
Rangeela Dance Company is a full-service Bollywood dance company founded by Priyanka Jain Vara, a trained classical Indian dancer and Bollywood dance choreographer.
Their mission is to celebrate South Asian culture through dance and make dance available to everyone through their classes. In addition to learning to dance, you can hire Rangeela Dance Company to do one of their performances or create a custom performance for your event. If you opt for a class, you can choose an in-person, virtual, and outdoor dance workshop, and be welcome regardless of age and dance level.
Since 2016, Rangeela Dance Company has been the premier location for Bollywood fusion dance in Seattle. Rangeela, founded by Priyanka Jain Vora, teaches and offers Bollywood, BollyCardio, Bhangra, BollyHop, Urban Bollywood, Garba Funk, BollyContemp, and BollyClassical dance.
“I really wanted to create a platform for adult, post-collegiate dancers to come together and not necessarily compete, but create dance pieces together, create art together, share it with our community, teach dance workshops, teach our routines to adults and kids all over,” Vora said in an interview with the South Seattle Emerald. “And then also perform around the community to celebrate our culture. Ultimately, my goal is to preserve our Indian culture and pass that on to the next generations. I really think that doing that through dance and art is a very powerful way to deliver that message.”
Rangeela offers a variety of dance classes, including Bollywood, BollyCardio, Bhangra,BollyHop, Urban Bollywood, Garba Funk, BollyContemp, and BollyClassical dance. (Photo: Allyne Armitage)
Vora is trained in the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, which she studied for 11 years in addition to other forms of Indian dance, like Bollywood, Garba, and folk. Once she reached college, she was captain of the Bollywood fusion dance team. There, she was exposed to other styles, like contemporary and modern. For many colleges, South Asian dance teams can be intensive about training and competitions. After moving from Boston to Seattle, she founded Rangeela as a way to really connect to the dance community and reach out to the specific population of post-collegiate dancers who might no longer know what place dance has in their lives.
Vora was studying physical therapy while teaching Bollywood cardio classes on the side and choreographing for events and weddings. “My personal goal was, after college, to keep dancing and figure out how to keep that in my life,” Vora said. “And then I realized that there must be other people like me, and that’s how I found my community in Seattle, other dancers who share that same passion. And then it just grew and grew and grew, and now we’re a pretty big organization.”
Since then, Rangeela has been featured in an exhibit at the Museum of History and Industry and performed at major corporate and nonprofit organization events, like Boeing, Microsoft, Zillow, Facebook, and API Chaya. Rangeela has also worked with and performed for the Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Northwest Folklife Festival, where they performed this past Monday.
“Our most exciting corporate [event] was Boeing,” Vora said. “It was a grand opening for their new plane made by Boeing. And this is an Indian airline, so Boeing made that airline, that aircraft. And so we performed at the opening gala for that aircraft. It was pretty cool.”
Rangeela also has a thriving YouTube channel. During the pandemic, it began creating YouTube videos, like 15-minute Bollywood cardio and HIIT workouts, some of which have reached nearly a million views. Its connections on YouTube have also connected it with guest instructors from all over the world, including YouTube celebrity dancers as well as famous choreographers from Bollywood.
Many dancers who come to Rangeela are recent immigrants or Indian Americans raised in theU.S. But Vora says that ‘regardless of our background, we’re all just equally passionate aboutcelebrating our culture through dance.’ (Photo: Allyne Armitage)
Vora’s passion about making Bollywood and Indian dance accessible is linked to her own strong connection to dance. “Dance … for me, personally, is a source of Vedic meditation,” Vora said. “When I dance or when I’m choreographing or directing a piece … it’s like I fully immerse myself into the art, which is just so exciting.”
Rangeela’s classes are mostly geared toward adults, but it also hosts classes for kids — like its upcoming summer workshop — and classes even geared toward elders. “I’m a physical therapist as well, so I’m a women’s health physical therapist, pelvic and women’s health,” Vora said. “So we designed a class for seniors.”
The Indian community of Seattle has provided major support for the Rangeela Dance Company community, though anyone is welcome to take classes at Rangeela, even if they have no Bollywood dance experience. Vora says that much of the Indian community she has met is split between recent immigrants and Indian Americans raised in the United States. “Regardless of our background, we’re all just equally passionate about celebrating our culture through dance,” Vora said of the community. “To see how similar we are, too, in wanting to preserve the culture and keep it going and sharing that with everyone, it’s just really rewarding, it really just puts a smile on our faces every day.”
Vora says Rangeela is lucky to have an incredibly strong team, working together to do marketing, choreography, sales, and run practices. Its dedicated and supportive team is like a family, and they are all extremely passionate about what they do, most juggling their work there with another full-time job. “They’re looking for a way to release, a way to get exercise, a way to learn, a way to connect with other people outside of work,” Vora said. “And I think this is a really important aspect of their well-being, for fitness, for happiness, for community, for social reasons. Some of my dancers need a dance family. … And we really welcome them with open arms.”
More than anything, as the only Bollywood-focused dance company in Seattle, Rangeela is offering a kind of cultural dance that is highly underrepresented in the Pacific Northwest. “We’re truly making a change in Seattle, where there really wasn’t a lot of high-quality Bollywood [and other South Asian] dance,” Vora said. “There wasn’t a lot of really strong and high-quality representation of where people could go to for choreography for their wedding or to take classes on a consistent basis and find those friends who also wanted to learn dance after college.”
To try dance classes at Rangeela Dance Company at 340 15th Ave. E. Suite 101, visit its website, or enroll your kids in its summer dance workshop series by contacting Rangeela over email
By Amanda Ong (she/her) is a Chinese American writer from California. She is a recent graduate of the University of Washington museology master’s program and graduated from Columbia University in 2020 with degrees in creative writing and ethnicity and race studies.
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