Seva, meaning selfless service in Sanskrit, perfectly embodies the non-profit organization Seva Dance’s mission, senior Krrish Sanjanwala said. 

Sanjanwala, the son of co-founder and vice president of Seva Dance, Ami Sanjanwala said the organization has been around for the past three years. His mother and her co-founder, Megha Chandramohan, created their organization 20 years ago, originally known as Kansas City Bollywood (KCBW) Dance. As a part of KCBW Dance, they taught dances for an organization called the Indian Association of Kansas City (IAKC) for an annual India Nite event. 

Sanjanwala said IAKC included many other dance performances, which caused his mother and Chandramohan to have less involvement in organizing the show. He said with Seva Dance’s INfusion showcase, the founders and the youth can have a greater impact on the community. 

When they were KCBW Dance, Ami said their organization was charitable but different from Seva Dance as it was not an official non-profit. She said they donated to an organization known as Share & Care in India.

However, with Seva Dance, Ami said she and Chandramohan wanted to keep the money in the Kansas City community. 

 “Since we are a local organization and the kids are in this community, we wanted to keep the money here, and [that’s] why we call our show INfusion,” Ami said. “We want to diversify and infuse all the cultures here in town.”

Seva Dance’s INfusion performance in 2023 raised $50,000 from ticket sales and tuition fees for their beneficiary, Variety KC.

Variety KC is a non-profit organization that provides children with adaptive equipment, medical equipment and other resources that may not be covered by most insurance plans, according to Chief Development Officer at Variety KC, Abby Martin.

She said with the money they received from Seva Dance, they were able to provide equipment for 17 children in the Kansas City community. This included prosthetic limbs, sports wheelchairs and specialized bikes. 

Along with this, Seva Dance invited Variety KC children to perform in the showcase along with the dancers. Martin said it is important for children with disabilities to play with able-bodied peers.

“Having our Variety KC kids dance on stage with their dancers was just so special, not only for the kids but for the families and for our team,” Martin said. 

Martin said Seva Dance is an organization that has “the biggest hearts,” as 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to their beneficiary.

Junior Aamir Mukadam, who has been performing with Ami and Chandramohan for four years, said although Seva Dance is a non-profit organization, he does not view it as volunteering. 

“I almost just see it as like doing something that’s fun,” Mukadam said.”I feel like that’s why the aspect of volunteering becomes an enjoyable thing.

However, senior Pradyun Thumar said participating is very fun at the beginning but at times, the dance aspect can get difficult as learning the choreography requires a strong work ethic. 

Nonetheless, Thumar said combining all of the different dances and transitions, in addition to the costumes and props is his favorite part of the process.

Senior Akki Gundu said she primarily enjoys the opportunity to dance. She said she used to be a classical dancer but gave it up for gymnastics. Gundu said she regrets not dancing as much as she used to but is glad she can with Seva Dance. 

“It’s allowed me to express my love for dancing and for my culture, which I don’t get to do a lot, so it’s kind of special,” Gundu said.

Similarly, Sanjanwala said dancing made him feel more in touch with his Indian roots.

“Over the years, [it] has been a really good experience to learn more about my culture, especially because I’m a second-generation [American] so I didn’t necessarily grow up in a background where I was too involved with my culture,” Sanjanwala said. “Being around people [who] want to foster that kind of community has helped me learn more about my background.”

Ami said as she grew up in Kansas City, dancing was also a way she was grounded in her culture. When she had her sons, she said it was extremely important for them to dance so they were also connected to their culture. 

Sanjanwala said he began dancing formally through IAKC when he was 3, solely because his mother forced him into it. 

“I initially hated dancing when I was younger,” Sanjanwala said. “I have grown to enjoy it because I’ve made a lot more friends and it’s become a community where I feel comfortable.”

Despite disliking dance when he officially began, Ami said before her son did his first performance, he would practice dances with her as a toddler. She said she noticed he was conscious of moving to music and believed he had a slight interest in dancing. 

In contrast, Thumar began dancing later while in high school. Before joining, Thumar said he was unsure if he would enjoy it. He said he learned about Seva Dance as a freshman but joined as a junior because he was shy. After joining, he said he found dancing to be fun.

Mukadam said he appreciates the dancing aspect, but to him, the best part of Seva Dance is the friends and connections he has made with other people. He described the atmosphere as a space where everyone comes together and collectively works hard to become better dancers. 

Similarly, Gundu said she enjoys dancing with all of her friends as well as having Ami and Chandramohan as choreographers.  

“The instructors, they’re really chill,” Gundu said. “They’re really fun to be [around], they’re basically like teenagers.”

Sanjanwala said it is sometimes odd to dance with his mother as the teacher. He said at times it can be stressful because his mother makes him practice, but he also learned valuable lessons from his mother through this experience. 

“I learned a lot about resiliency and how to effectively run an organization because it takes a lot of effort and hard work to organize almost 200 people, especially kids,” Sanjanwala said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot about time management and the skills that go into having a successful show.”

Throughout the years, Ami said the organization has grown tremendously.

“We started with maybe a group of 15- 20 kids in our basement, and that group just grew over all these years,” Ami said. “I mean, we’re up to like 215 participants.”

Reflecting on the experience of being a part of Seva Dance, Sanjanwala said it is weird for him to think about this being his last year dancing with the organization, but hopes to continue dancing when he attends college. 

“It’s become a routine thing every year when the fall season comes around,” Sanjanwala said. “Having meetings with Megha masi (a term of endearment in Gujarati) and her family, going to dinners after practices, stuff like that [will end]. It’s definitely a little bittersweet.”

Seva Dance’s INfusion show will be on Sat Nov. 16 at the Lied Center of Kansas. The event will be held between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, click here. To get involved in the organization, follow @sevadancekc on Instagram and wait for updates for the next season.