School Projects

Competitions Counted On Our Lists :

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The Competitions & Performances that we go have Judges with following qualifications with full transparency required for students to be eligible such as submitting videos, pictures, program specs, and all the other details :

  1. Degrees in Performing Arts (Indian for Indian Dances),
  2. Straight Background With Full Proof & Traceability,
  3. Versatile Dancers In Their Genre  – Non Stop Stage Dancers.
  4. Full Hands-Onn w/Knowledge From Right Sources ( traceable background or universities-not the universities such as gandharv.)

Competitions We Do :

As such we have won several competitions but we have only accounted in our bags that we have done it independently ourselves and have judges who are qualified in field of Indian Performing Arts-who know what to look for in dance forms or styles, if mentioned likewise.

  • Non-Voting, Strict by Genre, Category, Dance Forms, Rules of Dance Form, Rubrics, Guidelines, Marks and Feedbacks by Judges with straight background, Local or International Depending on all of above.
  • Competitions in partnership with other dance schools/teachers are NOT INCLUDED in our list.
  • We do not sponsor the awards or competitions that we take part in. Please contact hetal at mail2hets@gmail.com for sponsorships.
  • We do not do reality competitions YET. These are not institutionalized or educational competitions.
  • Competitions where voting criteria is 10/100 or more at any levels are not included in our list. You are welcome to take freelance lessons from us to participate but we will not participate in voting. We will not take those on our list.
  • Judges who do not have any knowledge of dance or cannot outline the difference between simple things such as bollywood vs folk, fusion vs bollywood, and so on! If you do not know the rules of dance form then there is no point in judging. And so, we do not take part in those competitions.
  • Participant Awards are NOT listed or considered for us-obviously and that includes students who get participant awards during competitions just for participating and not winning competitions for any runner ups awards either. Culture awards are not competition awards 🙂
  • Wins at the Competitions that misrepresented categories/competitions/malrepresentation by the organizers are NOT listed.
    • Eg-Represented as Indian FOLK Competition but it was actually a Bollywood Competition and so they are NOT LISTED HERE. We have won such competitions as well.
    • Only legitimate competitions are listed.
    • We DO NOT teach Tap/Jazz/Ballet. Students who took part in fusion dances that included tap/jazz or ballet were trained from Ballet Academy of Texas(Coppell) and Prestige Dance Company(Lewisville-former Coppell Dance Center)for 2months+ or were already avid trained dancers or good gymnasts.
      • We taught them only Indian Classical Dance(Bharatnatyam)or Indian Folk Dance and the Fusion work to go together based on what they knew.
    • Some competitions are listed together as only 1 award was given for consecutive years win or in same year as prizes had material gifts/or gift cards for participants or same work received awards in 2 different places by different participants or same participants. There was only 1 ceremony for awards that happened.
    • Competitions that are not worth our attention –>
      • Students are neglected, mis-treated, insulted by organizers are NOT worth of our time. We will pass their info-you are welcome to compete but keep us out of it.
      • Organizers are in favor of other dance schools and allowed several re-takes to them but not to us-for no good reason are NOT worth our time. We DO NOT want children to go through that traumatic experiences.
      • Students are questioned about their well-being priorities only because organizer couldn’t see the child winning in-spite of stopping the vote entries are NOT worth of your child’s time.
      • Organizers that offer inappropriate stage areas, dressing room areas or unsafe dance conditions are eliminated from our list for any future participations due to SAFETY GUIDELINES concerning child’s safety. We don’t come there to dance in 5-8 steps of stage area.
      • A stage or organizer who cannot respect a child’s presence while talking just about anything that they have in mind insulting kids and their parents whatsoever, esp. talking in extremely loud voice and misbehaving in front of children because you couldn’t handle pressures (while others were allowed to do same-all drama in front of child)-is not worth our attention.

Please learn your manners FIRST when you treat a child.

Stop treating them like trash — this tells us about your parenting! Not our parents’.

      • An organizer who is bias to us in all the privileges given to other participants will not need our attention at any given point of time. If you have made up your mind in not allowing us to avail the privileges then why should we make kids suffer through your misconduct and inappropriate behavior just for a trophy ?

Constructive feedbacks are very welcomed. We have come this far only because of constructive feedbacks. Please tell us your background before you judge!

All of above are NOT sarcastic humor incidents and are ruled out by experiences in recent competitions and we do not want any child to face such a traumatic experience just for a competition! Our kids/students are very precious to us. 

Other Blog Posts where such a traumatic incident happened : Read Here.

Stop blaming parents and kids for your own issues. Open Stats @Cqunce Inc.

This post was updated in May 15, 2019 | May 22, 2021.

Exclusive Copyrights by Reach Media for Hetal Joshi | Grace & Grooves | Grace Creations | Grace And Grooves 2012-2021.  This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.  

Grace And Grooves LLC, Names, Logo(s):

graceandgrooves group by hetal joshi Leave a comment

Everybody in this world has their inspiration from somewhere or something. So do we and all our names. Just out of sky it did not come in our mind to get these names on our paper to register them as our own. With so many theories out there about names, we had to clear our own lists of all the DBA(s), Logo(s)….

logo

Our Logo in 2012. It had variations such as Grace And Grooves, Grace n Grooves, Grace Grooves, Grace & Grooves, etc.

Grace And Grooves LLC (2012) : This is sort of like additional information on how we got our name. As shared in link above on Grace And Grooves LLC(2012), we got our name from audiences. Topic 2 From Here.

 

 

 

Here’s little more to nail-biting situation we were put through for name!

PayPalLogo

One of other variation that was used…2012 onwards.

 

 

 

We encountered unforeseen challenges during our participation in this walk-in competition. When asked to provide the name of our dance company, we realized we had not yet established one and were unsure how to respond. It was surprising, as the event organizer had not disclosed the requirement for a company name prior to the competition and had accepted our entry without such information.

Despite this uncertainty, the grace, poise, and originality of our choreography spoke for itself. Our performance was even compared to a widely viewed YouTube routine with over a million views. Though this initially caused us some concern, our efforts were ultimately validated when we were honored with the first-place award.

We were informed that, should we win, we would need to provide a name by the end of the event for the purpose of announcing the results. We were the only participants without an official group or company name at the time, which made our entry stand out. It became apparent that the organizers were not in favor of unregistered participants, and this requirement seemed to reflect that preference.

cropped-logo-to-update-on-blog-cover.jpg

Our New Logo in 2015 September that we got made for Indian Folk Dances, Bharatnatyam and Fusion Dances. Bollywood was not really program back then. We started Bollywood off-late after September and logo was already done by then!!

During one of our early performances, a kind American attendee—married to an Indian—approached our team with a heartfelt compliment. Though she did not understand the language or the meaning of the song, she expressed that the choreography was so moving, it touched her deeply. Upon being asked, she specifically mentioned the final dance sequence as the moment that brought tears to her eyes.

The piece in question depicted the spiritual bond between Meera, a devoted follower of Lord Krishna, and the Lord Himself. Before the performance, the narrative was shared with the audience to provide context. The particular sequence that resonated with her portrayed Meera’s complete surrender to Lord Krishna through the Hare Krishna dhun (devotional chants), symbolizing her transcendence from the material world.

This touching duet was performed by Nirja Setty and her school friend (name withheld upon request), both adorned in custom-designed Kerala-style Tissue Pattu Pavadai. The fabric was specially ordered from India and the costumes were meticulously stitched and re-designed locally in Irving-Coppell, Texas, USA.

The emotional impact of the dance, especially as seen through the eyes of someone unfamiliar with the language but moved by its expression, marked a defining moment for us. It was in that very moment—when we were called on stage to receive the first-place award—that we spontaneously named ourselves Grace and Grooves. The name was spoken instinctively, and we immediately embraced it. It felt right. It felt like us.

The judges offered glowing feedback: “Beautiful choreography, dramatic appearances, well-executed, and stunning costumes and props.” One judge even asked, “How did you manage to choreograph something so beautiful to this song?”—a question we’ve since heard many times, and each time it brings us joy.

The choreography was created by Hetal Nagaraj, drawing from her rich training and inspirations. At the time, both performers were studying Bharatanatyam and Indian Folk Dance (pure forms) under our guidance. The intention was to prepare them as a duet team for an upcoming competition, pending audition results. While awaiting those results, we discovered this walk-in competition and decided to participate spontaneously.

This choreography has since won numerous awards—often back-to-back—and continues to captivate audiences. It’s a piece no one seems to tire of, and we continue to be humbled by the recurring question: “How did you do it?”

CALL NOW 972 979 2559 or Email : info@graceandgrooves.com

colors dance

Grace Creations Logo that was created much later. Before that,  several works were done in fusion dances.

Grace Creations(2013) :

Our name was directly inspired by an Indian artistic dance company based on the East Coast of the United States. From the moment we were introduced to their work—through a friend who shared their YouTube videos—we were captivated. This introduction occurred after our friend had seen Mrs. Nagaraj’s semi-classical performance and felt compelled to show us similar, inspiring content.

Another key source of inspiration was an Indian dance school in Georgia, USA, known for their beautifully executed and uniquely crafted fusion choreography. Both of these esteemed institutions are rooted in Bharatanatyam and have made a significant impact on the Indian classical and fusion dance communities in the U.S.

While we admired and began following their work, we were also committed to developing our own artistic identity. We infused a wide range of styles and dance forms into our choreography—sometimes staying within the boundaries of a particular tradition, and at other times pushing creative limits entirely. Nonetheless, all of our students received foundational training in the original classical forms to ensure the integrity and authenticity of each style was respected.

Much of our fusion choreography is performed under the banner Grace Creations—a creative extension of our artistic vision. Grace Creations would later evolve to perform independently in the years to come and is currently on hiatus.

CALL NOW 972 979 2559 or Email : info@graceandgrooves.com

Nruthyakala Dance Academy(2017) : The word comes from words Nruthya (or Nritya meaning dance) and Kala meaning Art. We had in mind several other names but we needed a name that goes for both the dance forms – Bharatanatyam and Indian Folk Dances(India). Main idea was to have Nruthya(Nritya meaning Dance) that is combination of Nritta and Natya – both;thus separating these two beautiful forms from all the other programs that we offer. Eventually, it may happen that Bharatnatyam and Indian Folk Dances may operate separately but until then this is it-we loved this as it best-fits our need!

CALL NOW 972 979 2559 or Email : info@graceandgrooves.com

Mirchi Dance Academy(2017): This word was decided last year! Very well, it came from Red Chillies Entertainment (An Entertainment Company in Mumbai, India). Mirchi(meaning hot pepper/chillies) is always a must have in plate if you have roots from Kathyavaad. Coming from hybrid-gujarati family, we were born eating tasty peppers/chillies with our all-time favorite theplas, stuffed paranthas or bajri-rotlas with all the other goodies. Some habits don’t go, they say! From our food plate to our DBA name. And you thought we don’t love Bollywood :)…Yes, bring it onn. It is tasty!

Kalasri and (often used kalashri by most media) Classical was as is acquisition, the name is not changed. Company was too teritorial for irving, keller, southlake and south irving to have logo rather on verge of shutdown until Ms. Hetal took it over.

Timeline of company, mergers and acquisitions.

Logo 2018 – Grace And Grooves was group until 2025. Here’s the logo until 2025 June 2.

In 2024, Hetal received the registered trademark for the company.

Here’s other company’s logo –

grace effects logo
g2 dance factory and g2 dance building sign
mirchi dance academy
texas all star
dhamaal events

Date: August 15, 2017 | June 2, 2025.

Website : www.graceandgrooves.com

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/GraceAndGrooves

Twitter : https://twitter.com/GraceAndGrooves

Youtube Channel :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSbZYIr0EPzrfPNzH_0FcVw

Exclusively written by Hetal Nagaraj. Copyright Reach Media for Grace And Grooves | Grace Creations | Nruthyakala Dance Academy | Mirchi Dance Academy | 2011-current. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Dance Projects By Grace And Grooves (Exclusively To Schools Only).

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Just as our artistic director Ms. Hetal Nagaraj had the opportunity to learn from her own schools and colleges during her entire academic life, she just follows same here. A little give back to her kids’ schools other than her active PTO involvements such as Vice President PTO, Cultural Committee Coordinator, and Staff-Event Coordinator.

Focusing on just one country(India) is an easy job in India where the diversity/culture in forms of Indian Folk or Cultural Dances makes sense as in regions or states of India when celebrating India’s Independence Day or Republic Day or school annual day. This is not really a possibility in Dallas-Texas charter schools(USA) where every other student studying in school is from the different country with absolutely no common culture grounds! With this global diversities, imposing an Indian Performing Arts or even using Indian music wasn’t a good fit.

But, efforts were paid off when the parents opened their doors to do some creative works as long as it was limited to school environment and shows. Most dancers who joined this program had never danced before or had never even moved themselves to the tunes of music. From selecting the music, costumes, moves and the makeup standards were as per school guidelines. The performance was to appeal not only most/all demographics depending on the school, and the environment but also must fit the guidelines of the school. Dance lessons happened throughout the academic year following the school guidelines and calendar.

Finally, we could get a decent 4-5 min of presentable creative works by the end of the year. Kids loved it and parents admired it.  Grace And Grooves had undertaken these fun creative projects with the following schools:

Below are the pictures of performances from both the schools. These pictures are released based on parent’s consent forms signed exclusively for Grace And Grooves releases Only.

Grace And Grooves Harmony Project
Grace And Grooves Harmony Project for Rehearsals
Grace And Grooves Universal Academy Project Rehearsals

Exclusive Copyrights by Reach Media for Hetal Joshi | Grace & Grooves | Grace Creations | Grace And Grooves 2012-2017.  All Pictures posted here are with an exclusive consent of participating students, parents or school staffs. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.