Swati Chaturvedi created Community Bollywood Dance Project (CBDP) in 2009 as a means for community outreach, to bring light and joy through the power of connection, dance, and storytelling. Showcasing Indian culture while celebrating diversity, Swati uses Bollywood dancing as a vehicle to bring people together.
CBDP offers Bollywood dance instruction, custom workshops, school assemblies & residencies, and community programs in the Greater Philadelphia region. In 2014, Swati joined Musicopia as a teaching artist, broadening her Bollywood program outreach in public, charter, and parochial schools.
Highly interactive and energizing, CBDP’s Bollywood dance programs have created enriching experiences for people of all ages and abilities, including individuals with special needs, Alzheimer’s groups, and cancer survivors. As a henna artist, Swati enjoys incorporating henna in her program offerings.
Swati’s mantra is to celebrate life! Storytelling is an integral part of her work and as a blogger her writings often celebrate the individuals and the moments that have made a lasting impression on her. She is also a story contributor to the book, 88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life (1st edition).
Swati grew up in India on a steady dose of Bollywood movies, music, and dancing! She is currently training in the classical Indian dance form, “Bharatnatyam.” She is a ballroom dance enthusiast and her bucket list includes dancing the waltz in Vienna someday.
In her 10th year of CBDP now, Swati has danced with thousands of individuals at various events and festivals in the Greater Philadelphia region including Wawa Welcome America, Asian Arts Initiative’s Pearl Street Party, The Asian American Heritage Festival, Reading Terminal Market Diwali Festival, Appel Farms Arts Festival, The Painted Bride, and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
She hopes that you too, will choose to Dance with CBDP!