Rhythmaya’s motto is “music and dance with a touch of culture.” The dance studio is the brainchild of DMV native Nirathi Rao, who looked for a way to foster her creativity after college. “Rhythmaya began in my mom’s basement,” says Rao. “I taught one dance for a community event, which turned into formal classes. Then, we did it out of my garage, and eventually outgrew the space.”
Now, Rhythmaya is a community of hundreds of dancers. Rao, along with the studio’s managing director Sheila Oak Maggin, teach Bollywood and classical style dance classes in Virginia and Maryland. The group has also expanded beyond just studio classes. “We’ve performed at the Washington Wizards halftime show, the Maryland halftime show, and we went to Disney,” explains Maggin.
Besides performing and emceeing events, Rhythmaya aims to educate the public about Indian culture through song and dance. One of the group’s core principles centers around perspective. “Kids ask, ‘Why do they eat with their hands? Why do they dance barefoot?’ I tell kids, ‘Always understand the why,’” Maggin says.
It’s a message Rao and Maggin hope to spread beyond the DMV as they plan to take Rhythmaya on the road. “We want to go on tour as those local community teaching aunties who can bring the same feeling we bring to the DC metro area,” says Rao.