Clarendon Hills dance studio inspires next generation

BY ANNA HUGHES

Sheetal Dhanani started dancing at age five — and never stopped. As a child in India, her mother liked to joke that the moment music started, Dhanani’s feet started moving.

“It’s so beautiful that you fall in love with it,” Dhanani said.

When she immigrated to the United States in 1994, dance had been put on the back burner as she navigated life in a new country. Despite her excitement during the move, she felt lost trying to fit into her new life. Her mother suggested she reconnect with the pastime she loved most: dance.

“Once I started dancing, I started connecting with the people,” Dhanani said.

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While building her life in the U.S., Dhanani noticed a gap: there were no structured studios dedicated to the Indian classical style she had trained in — Kathak, a form she describes as blending the expression of ballet with the rhythmic sound of tap. So, she started her own class through the local park district. Although there wasn’t a single Indian student in her first class, the community embraced her immediately.

“I was super excited,” Dhanani said. “And then I saw that this country is beautiful. It’s so welcoming to all the cultures, all the styles, and that motivated me that I can bring my dance on the floor too.”

Now, 31 years later, Guru Sheetal leads the largest Indian dance school in the Chicagoland area: the Tarana School of Music and Dance. Dhanani has over 400 students, ages 5 to 62, across three studios — including the newest location in Clarendon Hills. For younger dancers, Dhanani focuses on discipline and structure. For older students, many of whom are physicians, the Tarana School offers a creative outlet and a way to relieve stress.

“The goal for this is to bring the mental fitness and physical fitness and put the teens into the right direction,” Dhanani said. “You see [in] a lot of young kids the identity crisis. I see it a lot. To find themselves, they go in all directions. So basically, my goal is [for them to] bring their own identity that, ‘Hey, you know what you are. You are beautiful.’”

Watching her students grow is Dhanani’s favorite part of teaching. Over 95% of students stick with her program once they start, and it’s exciting for her to watch them advance through the levels, eventually teaching the younger kids as well. Her students also help shape the school — from designing her first website to assisting backstage on performance day.

The school had 2,000+ audience members at their latest performance.
Photo credit: Chirag Patel

“Volunteers want to keep coming back because they like the work,” Dhanani said. “We work like a family… everybody comes together.”

In addition to sharing her love of dance, it’s important to Dhanani to spread her culture with others. The studio is open to anyone regardless of ethnicity, and she finds the experience especially meaningful for third-generation Indian Americans.

“They always say that we did not get this opportunity to learn because when we were growing, either our parents were struggling or there was nothing like this, and we wanted to make sure we pass [this] on to our children,” Dhanani said.

Dhanani hopes that dancers everywhere, regardless of style or level, will pass the art form on to their children. For her, it’s one of the best gifts she’s ever been given.

“Once I started dancing, I started connecting with the people.”

— GURU SHEETAL DHANANI, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, TARANA SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE

“I have gone through some very difficult periods… If dance was not with me, I would be a very different person. So this is some gift you are giving, and who knows when and how they are going to use it,” Dhanani said. “My husband is in the medical field, so I could not work with his call schedule, and I had one special needs child. But I had a dance with me so I was able to maintain my own identity.”

She is proud to pass this gift on to hundreds of students, many of whom continue to participate in Kathak dance throughout college and long after.

“All the graduates keep coming back, because it’s so beautiful once you start to fall in love with it,” Dhanani said.

The school has roughly 400 students, ages 5 to 62.
Photo credit: Hemant Patel

For more information on the Tarana School of Music and Dance, visit taranaacademy.org. They have three studios across the west suburbs: Aurora/Naperville, Schaumburg Park District, and Clarendon Hills.