A multi-hyphenated diva taking Bengali culture to global fame

Renowned dancer and influencer Ridy Sheikh becomes the 'bti The Daily Star Stellar Woman' in the 'Culture' category in 2023. Stellar Women is a joint initiative by bti and The Daily Star to recognize young and emerging women from different sectors who are taking the nation forward with significant contributions.

Ridy Sheikh's remarkable journey to global fame deserves to be celebrated. A multi-talented individual, she is a dancing maestro, trained musician, fashion designer, influencer, and international economics expert. Born and raised in Russia, Ridy grew up in a family of high-achieving academics, with significant influence of Bengali culture.

Ridy was expected to excel in academics just like her parents. They revered the performing arts, especially music, and insisted that Ridy stay in that pathway. Her early days began studying in music school, receiving training in European classical choir, piano, and harmonica. Ridy's parents were keen to expose her to Bengali culture, but growing up in a Russian society meant that she did not have enough access to it.

Her passion for performing arts led her to learn Indian classical dance at the Indian Cultural Center. Despite her parents' encouragement to focus on music, dance became her true calling. She pursued a degree in international economics and foreign affairs at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, while teaching dance on weekends and exploring various forms. Ridy's parents were skeptical, as dance was not seen as a full-fledged profession. Academics, dance class, music school, and weekend teaching left no time for social life. She successfully graduated from her university with distinction, thus fulfilling her parents' wish.

Inspired by pop performances and Bollywood legends, Ridy developed fusion routines that incorporated Latin dance, Hip-hop, Street dance, Jazz-Modern, Funk, Bollywood, Bengali folk dance, and Indian classical dance. The reality show "Dance India Dance" sparked her interest in these competitions. In 2012, she got her breakthrough by reaching the top 100 in Ukraine's version of So You Think You Can Dance. She displayed a South Asian dance form and wore her Bangladeshi identity with pride. Unfortunately, due to a knee injury, she had to take a break from dancing for two years. During this time, she formed a dance group named 'Shapla', the name being an homage to the national flower of Bangladesh.

Teaching dance and managing the 'Shapla' dance group allowed Ridy to create a unique niche for herself in Russia. Anyone interested in South Asian dance forms would approach her. When she reached the top 50 in Russia's version of "So You Think You Can Dance", the producers recognized her talent and appointed her as a choreographer in the show.

Ridy's performances on her Youtube channel caught the eye of the "Dance Plus" team, who invited her to audition twice. She missed out due to her commitments to the Russian show. Seeing her disappointment, her mother insisted she participate in Bangladesh's own dance reality show, "Shera Nachiye". This was a turning point in her life, because winning this competition became an avenue for her to stay in Bangladesh and expand her work in South Asia. Ridy eventually competed in Dance Plus Season 3 soon after, and fulfilled her childhood dream of performing for Remo D. Souza.

Now based in Dhaka, Ridy runs the Ridy Sheikh Starbase Dance Studio, offering both offline and online dance classes. She has ventured into fashion with her label, Gemini. Her talents also extend to choreographing music videos and commercials. Additionally, Ridy has been involved in various projects, including UNESCO acknowledged 'Ethnic Origins of Beauty' and working with UNDP as an SDG Socializer, promoting gender equality, equity, and environmental awareness.

Ridy wants to experiment and try different opportunities without any regret. For her, life is not simply black and white, it is colorful. She thanks The Daily Star and bti for bestowing the title of 'Stellar Woman' upon her, and hopes to create a legacy worth remembering, that can inspire other women to pursue passions as relentlessly as her.