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Shiva’s Dances International, Inc-SDI . (Formerly known as Shiva’s Classic Dances International-SCDI)
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Shiva’s Dances is the brainchild of Mani Ragava Krishna Bhagavatula (known as Krishna). Krishna is a classically trained dancer in the Kuchipudi dance form with his diploma. Upon his arrival from India and subsequent performances for various organizations, Krishna realized that in order to appeal to a broader audience he would need to reach out to other dance communities. Other people, including dancers from different styles of Indian dance have embraced his ideas and passion. A group of seven people got together to form a committee. This committee gave birth to a vision of a community dedicated to preserving traditional Indian dance styles and at the same time reaching out to a global community. The idea was to bring people of various cultural backgrounds together to create a synergy of dance styles. At the same time the committee also envisioned supporting education for those interested in dance and needing assistance.
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In order to get a pulse of the community, the committee decided to organize an event. This would bring together traditional Indian dances such as Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak and an Irish dance troop. “Taal – The Beat of Passion” performed to a standing room only audience at Cuyahoga Community College auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday May 22, 2004. This collaboration proofed to be a big success.
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As a result of this first performance, Krishna and his dancers have performed for various other organizations and functions. Among others, Shiva’s Dances participated in the ground breaking ceremony for the Indian Cultural Gardens , Cleveland, Ohio May 22, 2005, having been recognized by the Mayor Jane Campbell and The Cleveland Plain Dealer; Asian Heritage Days, honoring the Veterans of World War II on May 28, 2005. On April 6th 2005 The College of Wooster invited the dancers to perform for Asian Cultural Week. This topped off a week of celebrating diversity in the college environment.
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The committee, in efforts to continue to raise awareness, decided it was time for another big event. Following on the heels of “Taal” members reached farther into the community and collaborated with members of “The Art of Dance Academy”, a school of Russian Classical Ballet; the “Oh My Gosh!” Co. with Fontanez Dance, performers of Latin and ballroom dancing: “Troupe Shabaana”, authentic Middle Eastern Dancers: and “Tai-Ji”, Chinese artists of the Chen Style. The concept was “Scheherazade – The Tales of the Arabian Nights. The performance took place on Friday September 23, 2005 in an auditorium at Cuyahoga Community College packed with diversity.
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On Saturday September 23, 2006 Frank Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio made a Proclamation of Recognition to Shiva’s Dances for its performance of “The Dance of Mother Earth”. This proclamation along with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor of University Heights, Ohio was to honor the organization for its commitment to addressing global and social issues. This dance performance addressed awareness to global warming and wildlife preservation and reunited the Indian dancers with the Russian and Folk dancers. Performance was at Wiley Middle School, University Heights, Ohio, sponsored by the city with the support of The Cleveland Hts.-University Hts. School District.
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Just recently, The College of Oberlin, Oberlin, Ohio invited Shiva’s Dances to perform for their week of celebrating diversity. This occurred on Saturday May 26, 2007. This dance was set in the heart of the community in a park setting, attracting people in the community as well as the college.
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All performances by Shiva’s Dances were made possible by contributions by individuals and companies such as Crestbest Quality Institute of Cleveland, Flight Options of Cleveland have been company sponsors.
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Choreography and direction of shows are mainly managed by Krishna Bhagavatula and Dr.Arunima Ghosh
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SDI has staged another big program on Saturday Sept 22, 2007 titled YATRA - A Journey to The Bliss, at the Eastern Campus of The Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio.
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