In Hindi, the word kahaani (कहानी) means “story.” This word inspired the founding goal of Saniya Shah and Jyothi Nair’s choreography company of the same name — to tell people’s’ stories. Whether it be dances for weddings, anniversaries or other important cultural events, Kahaani Event Choreography aims to create individualized dances to commemorate each person’s unique style, beliefs and past.
Shah and Nair began their endeavor in choreography first as a part of Boston University’s Indian fusion dance team, Chankaar. Their dances drew from Bollywood movies, pop culture and Shah’s extensive background in dance. However, it wasn’t until after graduating that Shah and Nair considered the possibility of using their skills professionally.
It started when Shah’s relatives asked her to choreograph their wedding. Shah turned to Nair for help, who was “very on board.” They created and taught the dance to Shah’s relatives, and a few weeks later, received another request for wedding choreography. Realizing there was a business opportunity in this, Shah and Nair decided to partner up and found Kahaani.
“We love to dance and we love to teach, so this kind of combines two things that we love. We realized how much fun it was to dance and come up with something again because we both hadn’t danced for a while at that point,” Nair said.
Because the importance of dance in South Asian weddings results in increased demand for choreography, Shah and Nair knew they needed to offer services that could accommodate every client’s needs.
Their company offers various types of dance services ranging from individualized lessons to actually performing with other dancers at wedding ceremonies. They also provide video tutorials for clients who live too far away to receive in-person lessons.
“They did an amazing job with teaching people who were spread all over the country, who weren’t necessarily experienced, who weren’t familiar with Indian dancing and who had a wide age range spread. Their video tutorials were an integral part of that,” Ushma Kneynsberg, a former client, wrote in a message.
Kneynsberg, 26, employed Kahaani to choreograph her wedding in January. Since Kneynsberg lives in New York City, it wasn’t feasible for Shah and Nair to teach in person, but according to Kneynsberg, the virtual dance lessons were still easy to follow, even for her inexperienced relatives.
“They really took ownership of the event. It wasn’t just a job that they were paid to do – they put time and effort into owning it,” she wrote.
Shah and Nair helped Kneynsberg to create a theme for the dances that she and her relatives would perform at the wedding. The choreography told the story — the kahaani — of how Kneynsberg met her husband, how they reconciled their cultural differences and fell in love.
Shah and Nair recalled another particularly memorable wedding they choreographed for a couple that wanted to incorporate fusion into their first dance. To blend American and Indian music, the two women created a dance to a mash-up between popular Bollywood hits and the main theme from “Beauty and the Beast.”
Shah said experiencing the excitement of the wedding firsthand reinforced the mission of the company that she founded — helping clients “tell their story on the dance floor.”
In addition to working with clients to choreograph events, Kahaani also hosts dance workshops. Last Tuesday, Shah and Nair traveled to the Yawkey Club of Roxbury to teach high schoolers the basics of Bollywood dance. They first worked with the Boys and Girls Club through Chankaar at BU and decided to continue their partnership after creating Kahaani.
“These kids are so full of energy and passion, and they genuinely want to be there,” Nair said. “Seeing it all come together at the end and watching them freestyle or just hit the right steps is really satisfying and it’s just so fun.”
Shah and Nair are currently working on expanding their client base by creating a website, growing their database of dance moves and improving their business skills.
“Teaching all these people has just been so fun and fulfilling,” Nair said. “They have a vision for their perfect wedding, anniversary, birthday, whatever it may be. If we can help in any way to make it happen, then I think we’ve fulfilled our purpose.”
Correction: This article previously identified Shah and Nair as having danced for Jalwa. It should say they dance for Chankaar. The current version reflects this change.
