How a small business shares Indian culture, one dancer at a time

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a month-long celebration of the achievements and contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We’re highlighting Asian and Pacific Islander-owned small businesses and the important role they play in sharing their cultures and impacting local communities.

These are businesses like Kruti Dance Academy, in Atlanta, Georgia. Its founder, Dina Sheth, is a former microbiologist and trained classical Indian dancer. She wanted her daughter, Shemoni, to know the beauty of their culture, so she started teaching her dance in the basement of their home. As other parents in the community learned what Dina was doing, her classes started to grow, and Kruti Dance Academy officially came to life in 1995. What started as a basement class with four students is now a 9,000-square-foot facility with hundreds of dancers, and Shemoni is Kruti’s Artistic Director.

With the help of digital tools, they continue to expand Kruti Dance Academy’s reach. For example, YouTube has allowed them to connect with people across the world: their channel has over 27,000 subscribers and eight million views. Closer to home, the photos and reviews on their Business Profile on Google provide a way for those unfamiliar with Indian dance to catch a glimpse of what Kruti Dance Academy is all about.

Dina and Shemoni have received wide acclaim for their commitment to the advancement of the arts and their community. Watch this video to learn more about how Kruti Dance Academy is sharing the richness of Indian culture and heritage through dance in their community and around the world.