Joya Kazi, 36, is an Indian choreographer, dancer and rising global superstar. She was born in Mumbai in 1988, then moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to study dance at the University of California-Davis. She was a dance pro at age 8, went into business with her own company at 16 and was financially independent at 18.
Kazi credits a classical Indian dancer she saw on a Michael Jackson video when she was three years old as her inspiration. She’s worked on U.S. television shows, danced with John Travolta in one of her first Bollywood star gigs, and is currently busy directing and performing in her U.S. tour “Rhythm India: Bollywood and Beyond.”
KCM caught up with Kazi before her March 8 show at Yardley Hall in Johnson County Community College.
About coming to Kansas City:
“We’re so excited to just simply bring the show all across the country. Most of all, we wanted to bring it to places that don’t get the opportunity to be able to have that exposure to different types of music and dance and culture. Coming to Kansas City for us is just an opportunity to really share our culture and invite people in to experience the music, the history, the dancing.
About the historical significance of her show:
“There’s so much more rich history behind each of the dance styles, knowing that so many of these classical dances that are thousands and thousands of years old have gone on from generation to generation. They have survived a movement during British rule where everything was outlawed. Indians worked so hard to continue practicing each of these traditions and passing them along, so it’s a privilege for us living in America to be able to even learn these dances and a privilege to be able to share that with everyone.”
About changing perceptions:
“When I am here in the West, people perceive India to be almost like a Third World country. But it’s extremely modern. And even in the dance industry, everything there is a lot more modernized. They have their own styles of underground, hip-hop, rock and metal music. It’s a completely different world. When I go there, they’re so surprised to see how deeply ingrained I am in the Indian classical arts and music living in America. They would think that I would be extremely westernized and extremely modern and not really in touch with my culture. But I love stepping between those two dichotomies and just bridging the East and West, and that’s something that I really try to do with my work.”
About what the music teaches:
“We get to just live our dreams out on stage. It’s important for us to have the responsibility to our audience to transport them to a completely different place, to a magical world. Whether we’re showing joy or pain or sorrow or excitement with our dance moves, it’s really just taking people on an adventure with you, and a journey where you really feel the music. That’s what’s so unique about Indian music. Even if you don’t understand the music, you will feel the emotions from the music, the instrumentation, even the dancing. I find it to be such a privilege to be able to live this life as a performer and a dancer.”
