LAWRENCE, Kan. — For 20 years, two women have brought their Indian culture to Kansas City through Bollywood dance, and this year it's impacting Kansas City's youth in more than one way.
Megha Chanderamohan and Ami Sanjanwala founded Seva Dance in Kansas City 20 years ago.
“When we started doing this 20 years ago, we had 30 kids and we were dancing in Ami’s basement," Chanderamohan said.
Now, the nonprofit has a dance studio and teaches around 200 students ages 5 to 18.
Putting one foot in front of the other is not only what these dancers do, but what Deliece Hofen, an Olathe mom, had to do 17 years ago.
“Our son Braden was diagnosed with cancer when he was 3," Hofen said.
Braden's cancer went into remission, but not for long.
“Three months right before his relapse, I was diagnosed with breast cancer," Hofen said.
Hofen founded Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer. She hoped to fill the gap in childhood cancer research.
"So, families really do fight these cancers together," she said.
But on Saturday, it wasn't just the Hofen family fighting cancer. It was dancers with Seva Dance and their audience. They raised over $70,000 for Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer; it was the beneficiary of this year's Bollywood Charity Showcase.
Chanderamohan's daughter, Nala, is the youth president of Seva Dance. After 14 years of Bollywood dancing, Saturday's showcase was her last performance. By now, she knows the mission of Seva Dance.
“Empowering youth through Bollywood dance, but also empowering youth through what it means to give back," Nala said.
Looking back 20 years, Chanderamohan had no idea Seva Dance would be here today.
“I never knew what kind of an impact Bollywood dance would have, like this is just really cool to see," she said.
The Bollywood Charity Showcase draws a crowd of over 1,000 people, so Seva Dance hosted it at the Lied Center of Kansas in Lawrence.
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