Sophomore Hritika Malugu and Brentwood High School freshman Meenakshi Kadungath have been dancing since they were young.

“We both have been dancing since were 5 or 6,” Malugu said. “We met [when] we were little because we both are in the same [cultural] organization.”

Recently, Malugu and Kadungath have created an Instagram account.

“Our [Instagram account] is called hritakshi.dance, which is basically the combination of my name, Hritika, and her name, Meenakshi,” Malugu said. “This Instagram account has only been a thing for a few months.”

In this account, they post various Indian dance styles.

“We’re trained in classical Indian Bharatanatyam. But we also do semi-classical and even film dances,” Malugu said.

Malugu said that Kadungath and her decided to showcase their dancing on Instagram to reach a new audience.

“We wanted to showcase our culture towards people, especially since Instagram is a way to get it out to everyone. We decided it was just something fun because we meet every weekend regardless, so it was a good way to use our time,” Malugu said.

Currently, Malugu and Kadungath gained over 200 followers on their Instagram account and want to continue growing.

“We want to reach out to a wider audience across the globe in order to continue spreading the beauty of culture as well as the little fun dances we do. We’d also love to inspire people to dance more,” Malugu said. 

Malugu said she has enjoyed dancing and posting on the Instagram account since it allows her to express herself.

“It’s a good art form to connect back to your culture, as well as good exercise,” she said.