Get Dhoonya’d: Fitness Challenge Updates

Wow! We are excited to announce that we had an overwhelming response to the Get Dhoonya’d Fitness Challenge, and we are looking forward to kicking off the program next week.

Because of how man amazing stories and submissions we received, it became blindly clear that it wasn’t fair to pick just six people. We thought long and hard about how to inclusively incentivize  participants to achieve maximum results.

Here’s what we came up with:

Instead of receiving four months of classes upfront, prizes will be awarded at the end of the session to the most dedicated and hardworking individuals who has seen progress towards their goals. The prize at the end of the four month session will MORE than cover four months of classes. You can expect a cash prize, as well as a Bollywood makeover bundle.

While the program has changed, and we understand that this may change your interest, we encourage you to keep us in the loop with your thoughts. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to us. We’re here as part of your team to GET FIT and want to support as best we can.

For all of the details regarding the Get Dhoonya’d program, come to one of our kick off meetings at New York Live Arts:

Wednesday, Feb 29 @8

Thursday, Feb 1 @9

Saturday, Feb 3 @1

(Notice that all of our sessions fall right after FIT classes.)

Looking forward to seeing you in an upcoming FIT class and at one of our kick-off sessions!

Feel free to stay in touch: Info@dhoonyadance.com

Dance With Dhoonya On A Boat!

Dhoonya Dancers at Rang Barse 2011

Yup, you read it right. We said “On A Boat!” This year, for the second time, our Techniques students will be dancing in IN Group’s Rang Barse  event.

We had a blast performing last year and had possibly even more fun playing Holi after we got off stage. 

This year we are planning to rock the river with our rendition of “Ooh La La” from The Dirty Picture. 

We had our first class last week. We’ll be reviewing and continuing choreography to the song on Tuesday night and invite anyone who feels that they are tech ready to drop in!

We’ll be flick-stepping and hip shaking from 7pm – 9pm at 219 W 19th street! Make sure you register online here: http://bit.ly/dhoonya

Even if you’re not channeling Vidya Balan with us, you should still join us for an epic Bollywood adventure on the seas!

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of New York’s exclusive holi event- Rang Barse, IN Group is lifting its anchor and setting sail..

Be a part of our celebrations as we move from the Peking to the Princess for a cruise around New York.

… Come paint the town, red, yellow, green and pink and enjoy the Indian Festival of colors in style with food, drinks, dj and our special bollywood style dance performance by Dhoonya Dance’s Tech class.

Limited tickets available at $65. Tickets shall increase to $80 leading up to the event, so don’t get left out. Get your tickets www.ingroupevents.com
All aboard!

Get Dhoonya’d — Bolly-FIT for Summer

Get Dhoonya’d

Bolly-fit Your Bod in Time for Summer

You already know that DhoonyaFIT is a blast. You get to dance your cares away for one hour up to four times per week. While all of the fun is fabulous, even more beneficial is the positive impact DhoonyaFIT has on your health.

The Dhoonya Family is full of FIT success stories. From shedding weight, to improving technique, form and strength, to looking your best for a special event, DhoonyaFIT has changed made some of life’s most challenging goals fun!

We want to help YOU to take your fitness to the next level with DhoonyaFIT’s Bollywood Transformation.

We are looking for six individuals who are passionate about getting in the best shape of their lives. There’s no requirement for where you start, but we want to show how DhoonyaFIT helps you attain your goals.

What you’ll need to do:

• Commit to 3 classes/week for 4 months as often as possible
• Work with Dhoonya on a lifestyle fitness regime (this includes commitment to a healthy diet as well as cross-training)
• Document and share your progress through Dhoonya’s blog, photos and stories and video

What’s in it for you?:

• Four months of Free DhoonyaFIT classes
• A Community of Dhoonya instructors and fellow Fitters cheering you along the journey
• Become a DhoonyaFIT Spokesperson
• A Bollywood gift prize (including a facial, sari and more)

–and most importantly–

• Getting in the best shape of your life and feeling fabulously FIT!

How do you get involved?: 

Send an email to info[at]dhoonyadance[dot]com with the following info:

• Your fitness background
• Your health goals
• Why you would be a great candidate
• A photo

Spread Bollywood Love This Valentines Day

What’s more romantic than a Bollywood love affair? Sorry, SRK won’t be there, but Dhoonya will be! We are starting an exciting Techniques class this Valentine’s Day – Feb 14th!

Our new weekly 2-hour session will culminate in not one – but TWO– performances. Our combined Techniques classes will perform on

Friday March 16th at one of New York’s iconic Bollywood parties
Saturday March 17, Rang Barse Holi Event at South Street Seaport, 1pm

Does it get better?

Oh YES! Men and women are welcome to join the class to learn Rohan’s “Ooh La La” from The Dirty Picture!

Drop-in for our first class with your V-Day love and stay on for the five week session.

CLICK HERE to Register
Package Options:

• $150 Unlimited Monthly gets you access to all the classes as well as other Dhoonya classes (DhoonyaFIT)
• $150 for 10 class package ($30 per two hour session)

All packages can be used towards the 2 hours per class amount due

Drop-ins only allowed the first day of class February 14th

Feel free to contact info@dhoonyadance.com with any questions.

Looking For NYC Studio Assistants — Join The Dhoonya Team

Do you love Bollywood? How about dance?  What are your thoughts on free dance and dance fitness classes?

Dhoonya Dance is looking for friendly, responsible, punctual, detail-oriented, organized individuals to act as studio assistants for our classes?

What do you have to do? The main task of the studio assistant is to check people in as they arrive for classes. You are in charge of printing out an attendance roster, signing up drop-in students and collecting any cash. It helps if you are a quick learner at new software. If you have experience with Mindbody, you’ll rock this position…and soon after starting, the dance floor too.

We are looking for you start filling in the following shifts immediately:

• Tuesdays 6:45pm -9pm
• Wednesdays 5:45-8pm
• Thursdays 7:45 -9pm
• Saturday 11:45am -1pm

What’s the compensation like? Studio Assistants will have free-access to Dhoonya Dance classes in New York and DC! That’s free Bollywood Basics, Techniques and DhoonyaFIT Classes. You will be able to participate in the classes you cover.  Also, learn the administrative ins-and-outs of a dance school to add to your resume.

About Dhoonya Dance:

Dhoonya Dance is home of the best Bollywood talent, teachers and training providing simple, artistic instruction. The Dhoonya Method of Bollywood dance emphasizes strong fundamentals and choreography rooted in traditional, folk and classical Indian dance.

It is our talented team that drives the creative engine of Dhoonya Dance.  We are fueled by passion and positivity and we share our interpretations of Bollywood dance with common goals of fun, fitness and fundamentals.

Dhoonya Dance is known in the mainstream media from our coverage by:

• The Oprah Winfrey Show
• The Dr. Oz Show
• The Early Show
• Time Out New York
• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• Travel & Adventure Show

For more information, please email over your resume to: info@dhoonyadance.com

 

Our students go BollyGAGA!

“Screw Hollywood. It’s all about Bollywood,” so tweeted Lady Gaga when the singer/songwriter visited India last October.

Indeed, her theatrics, over-the-top performances, scintillating dance numbers and extravagant costumes kind of make Lady Gaga and Bollywood–BollyGAGA, if you will–go together like Shah Rukh Khan and an eyebrow furrow.

Proof? Most of you have probably heard the Salim-Sulaiman Bollywood remix of her “Born This Way” (And if you haven’t, get thee on down to one of our DhoonyaFIT classes! STAT!).

But we’re not writing to tell you about old news. We’re here to share an amazing video of one of our advanced students! Colleen Jolly, who has been one our longest and most dedicated students, really took BollyGAGA to the next level.

At their wedding reception, Colleen and her husband Lakin surprised their guests with an unconventional first dance. Recruiting her fellow students, Lisa, Tejal, Angela, and Jeannie, she choreographed a Bolly-fied take on Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” (Note the Bhangra kicks and the twist taps!).

Colleen, color us impressed! You killed it as the BollyGAGA bride. Amazing job and we are so proud of you!!

P.S. Your husband has got some impressive moves of his own!

Bollywood In Flight Entertainment on India’s Republic Day

If you know Dhoonya, you know we are suckers for a great flashmob. We’ve even been a part of a couple in DC and NYC. Do you remember our Bolly-fied occupation of Wall Street? We gathered Sheila and a huge crowd out even before it was the cool thing to do.

This morning we found a flashmob that was created to celebrate India’s Republic Day. For those of you not in the know (we were fuzzy on the details until wikipedia stepped in too), Republic Day in India commemorates the new constitution being put in place.

Usually you expect a flashmob to be in some public, open area. Well, Finnair took it to a whole new level and surprised passengers on their flight from Helsinki, Finland to New Delhi with a rendition of “Deewangi” from Om Shanti Om.  Talk about open air…

We have to give a shout out to the hostesses for bringing the BollyFab to what could have been a very dull flight! Check out their energy, expression and steps from the film!

Mad props, ladies. Next time, give us a call. We are always up for a dance-cation!