Anuja Rajendra is Creator and CEO of BollyFit, the Fitness through Dance sensation illuminating America. BollyFit synthesizes the artistic elements of Indian classical, folk and Bollywood dance styles in a dynamic dance experience. A spiritual thread is woven in and participants increase presence through dance. A loyal Michigander, success to Anuja is eliciting the dormant dancer within every body in her home state and beyond and helping Americans reach the top of the charts in the "healthiest country" category for both physical and spiritual well-being!

Anuja is an accomplished dancer, innovative choreographer and magnetic motivational speaker. Students come to BollyFit's flagship Ann Arbor classes from all over the world. To meet growing demand and make the program accessible to the 'dancer within each body', Anuja developed the BollyFit Guide for Guides TM program to certify instructors in the U.S.A. to teach classes featuring her proprietary content and choreography.

Anuja's private clients include 2010 Olympic Silver Medalists, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Together with their coaches, Anuja choreographed the first-of-its-kind 'Indian Dance on Ice' that helped Davis and White win Gold at the 2009-2010 U.S. Nationals, Four Continents, Rostelecom Cup and Grand Prix Events, capping the season with a Silver Medal at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver! This dance was selected to be featured dance in the 2010 Smucker's on Ice Tour is continues to be performed nationwide by Meryl and Charlie!

Anuja, along with her two sisters, studied Bharat Natyam, a classical Indian dance style that is over 4000 years old, Bollywood and Bhangra dance styles. They performed professionally as "The Rajendra Sisters" throughout the United States, Canada and India. Anuja earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Although she recalls missing a few classes to dance and does not recommend this practice, she excelled in the corporate, non-profit and technology start-up sectors.

Anuja's sister, Rachana, was tragically killed in an automobile accident and Anuja stopped dancing for over ten years. After having two children 18 months apart and gaining 60 and 45 pounds during the respective pregnancies, she wanted to be healthy again without the dread typically associated with exercise. She found herself turning on music and dancing again with her children. Along the way, the weight shed and a joy that was shielded for years emanated from within. Friends asked her to share the secret, and BollyFit was born.

Anuja and her husband live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with their dancing buddies, two smiling sons.

BollyFit Guide - Atasi

Atasi loves to dance! She has been learning and performing various forms of Indian dance for over 16 years. She trained in the classical South Indian dance style, Bharat Natyam, for 12 years and presented her Arangetram (professional stage debut). Atasi also studied the North Indian art form, Kathak, and has participated in and choreographed numerous Bollywood performances. As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, she spent four years as a member of the South Asian competitive team, Maya Dance Troupe, performing classical and modern fusion Indian dances.

Atasi received her Bachelor of Science from Michigan in 2008 in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science. She has a diverse background with experience in social research, minority health and cross cultural relations and has studied German, Oriya and Hindi. Atasi is currently a second-year student at the University of Michigan Law School and is heavily involved in student life where she holds several leadership roles.  She has also organized and choreographed Bollywood acts for a culturally diverse group of law students.

Even with such a rigorous schedule, Atasi sought out BollyFit Creator, Anuja Rajendra, because Atasi was so energized about the unique BollyFit experience.  Atasi continues to be a regular student in Anuja’s classes, where she loves the energy that each individual brings to the studio, the peaceful feeling she has at the end of class and the explanations of dance as a mind/body/spirit experience.  She explains, “BollyFit classes are fun and fast-paced, yet manage to calm me down after stressful days.  As a certified BollyFit Guide herself, Atasi is energized about “opening the same BollyFit experience to her own students and helping draw the “twinkling star” from within each individual, whether a first time or life-long dancer.”

BollyFit Guide - Amy

Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in math at the University of Michigan-Flint. Her day job has her behind closed doors in meetings most days of the week, but Amy hopes to help reenergize the Michigan economy while avoiding feeling “trapped” in the business world. Her evenings and weekends are spent with the charming men in her life—husband Scott and two-year-old London.

Amy finds balance, peace and JOY through dance. She has been dancing since she discovered disco at the age of eight. One of Amy’s favorite places to be is a wedding because there is no better place for being with loved ones, celebrating commitment and dancing like it’s nobody’s business! Her family often spends the evenings dancing around the living room, happy to be together and free to move as they please.

Amy believes in the benefits of exercise but recognizes the drawbacks of typical ‘workouts’ that, by definition, are whole lot of work and not a lot of fun. Since the first BollyFit Dance event she attended, she has experienced first-hand what BollyFit does for women, including herself:  provides a fun way to get in shape without the dread of a grueling work out. For Amy, the BollyFit experience is the perfect combination of fitness and fun where women bond and form new friendships. In fact, Amy loves BollyFit so much that she drove all the way to Ann Arbor from Grand Blanc twice weekly to take BollyFit classes because there weren’t any offered in her area that term. She also performed with Anuja and other BollyFit dancers at Ann Arbor’s Summer Festival this past June. Inspired by Anuja and the charm and friendliness of her fellow classmates, she was compelled to learn from Anuja and train extensively to become a BollyFit Guide and bring BollyFit back to her home community y teaching classes in the area.

Amy takes pleasure in helping and encouraging people to be their best. She looks forward to the rewarding experience of seeing you accomplish your goals and to sharing her passion for dance with you. Amy believes that it’s easy to be fit when you’re doing something you love and she’s certain you’ll love BollyFit!

BollyFit Guide - Gina

Gina first discovered her love of Indian dance and music in high school when she began performing at cultural shows and various festivals at the invitation of friends.  In college, her study breaks consisted of Bollywood dance sessions with her roommates.  Gina continued to perform folk and Bollywood style dances throughout high school and college.  Then a career, marriage and motherhood came along and she thought her dancing days were over. 

Following an invitation from a mom at her son’s preschool, she watched BollyFit rock out at Border’s and she was hooked.  Gina has always been somewhat allergic to working out. However, finding BollyFit changed her outlook and she no longer dreads exercise. Rather than feeling like “working out,” BollyFit reminds her of the fun she had dancing with her college roommates with fitness as an added bonus. Gina has danced her way to fabulous fitness, fun, and friendship with BollyFit!  After moving to Ann Arbor from Chicago, she never thought she would recover; yet BollyFit has helped her find home. BollyFit means feeling graceful and beautiful in the presence of warm and accepting company.

As a high school math teacher, she’s tried singing, dancing, and math aerobics to teach her students graphing and the quadratic formula. But when the opportunity to become a BollyFit Guide arose, she knew she had finally found a place to mesh her love of teaching and dance. Gina’s heart does a little hop, skip, and jump in anticipation of each class, and she looks forward to sharing the joy of BollyFit with you!

BollyFit Guide - Grace

Grace has been dancing from her toes to her nose since she was a child. She began ballet at the age of five, studying it for several years before adding tap and jazz to her repertoire. In college, Grace embraced the freedom of modern dance as well as the rhythms of African and Caribbean dance. She also developed a profound interest in stepping, a dance tradition among African American fraternities and sororities. After college, Grace briefly worked with the African dance group Giwayen Mata, a professional all-women’s ensemble. She has enjoyed learning a variety of dance styles, including West African, Afro-modern, Afro-Caribbean, hip hop, hula, Cuban, Dunham technique, stepping, South African gumboot, and Zulu. Grace has also studied the classical Indian dance style, Bharat Natyam, which introduced her to the gracefulness and precision of ancient art forms and the joy of dancing in a tradition that was totally foreign to her. Because she was not expected to “master” the dance in terms of a professional performance, Grace was free to explore a new form of movement. She has continued to seek the gracefulness of women dancing together and freedom of learning in taking BollyFit classes. She finds joy in BollyFit because listening to the music creates an energy of movement which inspires her to dance, but also reminds her of the friendships she has developed with a dynamic group of women.

Grace is currently working on her PhD at the University of Michigan, where her research is focused on music, movement, and politics in the British colonial and post-colonial context in West Africa. She was featured in the insightful documentary “Many Steps” produced by Patrick Mureithi and was mentioned in the book “Soulstepping” by Elizabeth Fine.

As a result of her dedication to spiritual and physical well-being, Grace was able to lose 50 pounds in nine months during college. In order to fully enjoy the multiple rhythms and excitement in her African dance classes, which exercise the whole body at once, she began to supplement her efforts with jogging and nutritional changes.  There is also a spirit of community, acceptance, and affirmation in cultural dance classes that help make these positive changes shared and sustainable that Grace now finds among her BollyFit friends.

As a BollyFit Guide, Grace combines her excitement about cross-cultural dialogue and study along with her passion for working with people. She looks forward to guiding you through your own BollyFit experience and sharing the wisdom and joy she has gained from being in BollyFit founder Anuja Rajendra’s classes. She is inspired to be a BollyFit Guide because it offers her an opportunity to contribute to the possibility of an interconnected world, where we appreciate, honor and celebrate each culture’s traditions. Grace is excited to share the joy of fitness through dance with you in BollyFit! 

BollyFit Kids Guide - Holly

As the Director of BollyFit KIDS, Holly comes to BollyFit with a long history of teaching and love of helping others learn. She has a Masters degree in Literature from Eastern Michigan University and nine years of classroom experience as a High School English teacher.  Holly has a unique approach to teaching that she brings with her as a BollyFit Kids “Guide”. She sees her role as a facilitator guiding students towards their own ideas and interpretations rather than as a teacher feeding them the answers.  That is, she helps each young student find the ‘dancer within’ himself or herself.

Holly enjoys being physically active. She was introduced to dance at the age of four when she began taking ballet classes. She has also played competitive team sports including basketball, floor hockey, volleyball, and ran track. In college, Holly practically lived at the fitness center where she taught aerobics and a fitness class for senior citizens.  As an adult, she always enjoyed fitness classes of any kind, and also played on a soccer league.  But when she discovered BollyFit last year and met Anuja Rajendra, its creator, Holly knew she was lucky enough to dance into something really special. Holly is hooked on BollyFit! She hasn’t stopped taking class since the day she began! In fact, Holly loves BollyFit so much that she worked with Anuja to adapt BollyFit into a program designed specifically for children. As a result, BollyFit KIDS was born. 

Holly has been actively involved in BollyFit in addition to teaching classes. She has performed with Anuja on several occasions and even ran such events as the BollyFit KIDS tent and the kids’ performance at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.  Holly has also shared the joy of BollyFit with other groups, including large Girl Scout camps.

As a mother of two young girls, ages three and five, Holly knows there is not a lot offered for this age group that is both active enough to count as exercise, but also not competitive or highly skill based.  This can be frustrating for parents and kids, or just plain not much fun. Holly has worked with Anuja to create BollyFit KIDS where kids connect with their beautiful little selves, feel and appreciate their muscles moving and their hearts pumping to dynamic music. As a trained dancer, accredited teacher, certified BollyFit Guide and mother, Holly is thrilled to share BollyFit KIDS with your children! 

BollyFit Guide - Nisha

Nisha is at home on the dance floor and the stage. It all began with her debut, appearing as a tomato at the age of 2. That was all it took for her to catch the dancing bug, and it hasn’t gone away since!

Nisha trained for 12 years in Bharat Natyam, a South Indian classical dance style; Kathak, a North Indian classical dance style; and folk dance styles from from all across India. Through the years, she also performed in many plays, musicals and dance dramas, bringing Indian dancing to her schools and community. As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Nisha choreographed and taught Bollywood dances to her fellow students that they performed at the school’s cultural events.

Nisha received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering, and followed it up with a Masters in Information Science, focusing on economics, management and policy. She currently works as a Web Designer and User Experience Specialist for the University of Michigan.

Nisha first discovered BollyFit through friends, and quickly found that it was the “twinkle” that was missing from her day. She has tried many other fitness and dance classes, but feels that BollyFit is unique in that it is a perfect alignment of relaxation, dance and fitness. As she says, “In the rest of my life, I’m a little awkward and shy. I can trip or stub my toe walking across a flat surface. This makes some of the other classes more difficult or stressful for me. But with BollyFit, when I hear the music and start to move, I am a confident, graceful person, and the beats carry me through the rest of the week.” Nisha is a certified BollyFit Guide to help others awaken their own personal twinkles, and looks forward to dancing with all of you!

BollyFit Guide - Wendy

Wendy is delighted to help others release their inner dancers, just as she has with BollyFit! 

An IT professional by day, Wendy welcomes the multi-faceted benefits of dancing with BollyFit. “I am a living example of the physical and mental benefits of BollyFit. While I have lost weight, I have also gained confidence about my body just as it is,” says Wendy. BollyFit is such a tremendous experience, both as a fitness class and a performance outlet.” She feels that the ability to perform with BollyFit is a unique aspect of the class, as this sort of opportunity is almost non-existent for non-professional dancers. Wendy relished the group’s appearance at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival in June 2009, performing in Dola Re Dola and Jai Ho and looks forward to many more performances to come!

The music and moves come naturally to Wendy and fellow students look to her to guide them when they have questions. In fact, a study guide she wrote up was used and appreciated by dancers outlining Anuja’s detailed choreography for a BollyFit performance.  Wendy’s own background illustrates the diversity that BollyFit fosters in its community.  From age 10, she studied ballet for 5 years culminating in pointe classes.  She also took private piano lessons, participating in recitals and standardized testing.  She later switched to synchronized swimming, where her ballet and music experience helped contribute to her success.  Wendy grew up moving around the world, cultivating a lifelong interest in cultures and languages. 
In both professional and personal experiences, Wendy is a natural peer leader and teacher. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Irvine, Wendy’s work as a technical writer was her entree to the world of IT. She currently works at Ford Motor Company as a project manager and business analyst.

Wendy says that BollyFit classes are the bright spot in her and guiding students brings even more joy to her life. The affection and support of class members continues to remind her that she deserves the life she wants and she looks forward to sharing this experience with you. “BollyFit feeds the creative and expressive side of me, and literally brings joy to my day.  When I walk into my BollyFit class, any stress from my day (or week) literally falls off my radar.  How can I not smile when faced with the collective energy, heart, and wisdom of the women who come to BollyFit?  It’s an honor to think that these wonderful women see me as one of them.”

In addition to Guiding, Wendy continues to be a consistent “All You Can Dance” student of BollyFit Creator, Anuja Rajendra, attending at least three of Anuja’s classes per week so she can bring the best of BollyFit to you!