Today we’d like to introduce you to Sujanya Subramanian.
Hi Sujanya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story starts when I was a 4th grader, and as in a typical South Asian South Indian family, I was put in classes to learn a classical form of Indian dance called Bharatanatyam. That is where my journey of dancing began. I found out that I was very good at it and pursued other forms like Bollywood which came very naturally to me. I kept going and I participated in various dancing programs and competitions. I started choreographing and teaching kids Bollywood dancing very early in life. I was called by schools to teach kids for their annual dance programs.
I kept going despite fighting a lot of back pain problems. Dancing became a part of my life. My shy nature kept me from participating in well-known dance teachers’ conducted workshops in big cities and competitions even though I got a chance to participate and was invited. Had I done that I would well be a professional choreographer in Bollywood. Dancing took a back seat around the twenties when I was graduating and during my mom’s illness up until my marriage. Then a year or so after I delivered my first kid. I wanted to get back to dancing, so I started attending Zumba Fitness to shed the extra kilos I gained, which motivated me to get certified in that. I got certified in Zumba Fitness and started teaching classes. I enjoyed that very much.
I used to teach classes in Bangalore, India. After we moved to the US first thing I did was go online searching for Zumba classes and other dance fitness classes that I could attend. During that process, I came across something called Bollyx which was a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness class near me. I went for that I enjoyed it so much and I was naturally good at it, so the instructor asked me to certify and teach. I got my Bollyx certification and started going around to teach Bollyx and Zumba. Later I met a very special person in a folk dance workshop and we hit it. We started participating in various dance events in the Salt Lake Valley like the color fest, and living traditions and there was no looking back.
The other friend was a teacher and exponent of another classical form of dancing from India and I got inspired to continue my classical dance journey further so I started learning “Kathak” one of the eight forms of classical dancing. I continue to learn that dance form. I have also learned some Belly dancing. I love trying and learning new forms of dancing and will continue to learn.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road but when it is you have the passion in you who would stop you? Initially, I had to suffer and slow down/take a break from dancing because of severe back pain issues. Again, it suffered cause my mom was sick, and passed.
It took a while for me to get back to dancing after that. Then in the later part of my life after marriage, kids and family were priorities. Even now with work and kids finding time to balance the dance classes, teaching and performance is a very tough thing. But I am somehow finding the path to keep dancing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do a variety of dancing. I specialize in Bollywood dancing, and Bollywood folk styles like – Bhangra, Lavani, and Tamil folk dance varieties. I also teach Fitness-Bollywood based fitness.
I am proud of my creative ability to be able to envision choreo and teach it to youngsters and adults. I usually don’t go for normal current trendy songs to perform that the usual crowd performs to, but I like to choose and pick a theme or a medley of songs that gives a message.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
They are the ones who keep me going with their appreciation for my work, motivation, and inspiration to create is something that I get from those people, my students, and my friends. If they aren’t there I won’t be able to create.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sujanyasub, @move2mentculture
- Facebook: Sujanya Subramanian
