Katrina Ji’s Media
Music Video:
Kalbeliya Documentary: https://vimeo.com/417016862
"Our office would like to thank you for putting on an amazing performance for International Dinner. We had great feedback from the audience and everyone enjoyed the show. Your group’s performance was praised by those who came to talked to me. We have not had a Bollywood performance at the International Dinner in several years and your group is truly the best choice.... Thank you once again for coming to perform at our International Dinner and our office will definitely recommend your group to other offices around campus."
-Dolly Chan
Programming Assistant | International Student Center | Seattle University
Katrina Ji's Media
Katrina Ji is a highly-acclaimed international dancer with a passion for Rajasthani Dance for which she has won numerous awards.
by Sandip Soparrkar, Bollywood Film Dance Choreographer
I have always believed that a dancer is the luckiest person. Not only because they are creative and can make all their imaginations come alive through their dance moves, but also because whenever they travel, they make friends very easily and the relationship that develops is only because of the medium of dance that gets them to bond with other people. I had mentioned before in my article that I was invited to perform at the Seattle India dance festival in the US recently. On this trip of mine to Seattle and the three weeks I spent in the magnificently beautiful city, my assistants Supriya Shah, Manasi Desai and I met a very interesting person — someone who connected with us because of the love for dance. And not just any dance, her love was for Bollywood dancing.
She was introduced to me as one of the dancers who would be performing for me in my dance segments. My dance piece had a total of 22 performers and she was one among them. But, the first thing that caught my attention was her name — Katrina Ji. Well, at first I thought that she has named herself after Katrina Kaif. But when I spoke to her more, I realised that it was a coincidence that she and the Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif shared the same name. So my next question was, why ‘Ji’? That too, I realised, was her real surname. Katrina Kaif has become a star now, but Katrina Ji has been in the dance scene far longer than Katrina Kaif’s career in Bollywood.
Katrina Ji started dancing since the age of four and by now she has a wealth of dance experience behind her. She is a certified ATS Belly Dance Instructor by Carolena Nericcio of FCBD. She is also certified in Entry Level Flamenco by the Spanish Dance Society. Her childhood dance foundation has been in ballet, tap and acrobatics. But what she loves the most is the Bollywood dance and Bhangra.
Though Katrina cannot speak Hindi, she watches every Bollywood film and loves Rani Mukherjee. Her love for Bollywood dance has got her to India many a times and she has trained under many experts from the film world. I was surprised to visit her dance studio in Seattle by the name Culture Shakti Dance Company. Without being an Indian or a Hindu, she has the word Shakti used in her company, as she believes that “the power” or the “shakti” of love of dance has helped her set her dance school and performance company.
Her entire studio has a very Rajasthani feel — with puppets, the famous katputli, everywhere. The main door welcomes the guest with a toran and a symbol of Om along with a diya kept near the music system so that a prayer can be performed before the class begins. Being a person who is born and brought up in Seattle in the US, she seems more Indian to me compared to most Indians living in India.
Katrina has been teaching ATS Belly Dance since 2001. In 2007, she was amongst the first group of teachers to be certified as a Sister Studio ATS Belly Dance Instructor by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance .
In 2010, she began Bollywood dance classes in Seattle and post that her institute has been nominated as the best in western Washington by King 5/ Evening Magazine, which makes me feel proud that she is taking so much interest in promoting our films and dances in another far away land.
People like Katrina Ji are rare gems who willingly adopt another culture and everything about a country and a place, only because they love it from the bottom of their heart. The love for India and Indian culture is so clear in Katrina Ji’s lifestyle that it is touching. The only regret she has is that she is trying her best to learn Hindi, but is not very good with learning foreign languages, so she has not been able to speak in the right accent and in the proper way.
When I meet dancers like Katrina Ji, I sometimes wonder how pure their souls must be to be accepting and to change oneself completely to fit into a new culture. My heart is all for Katrina and her love affair she is having with the Bollywood music and dance moves. She is superbly dynamic, graceful, and passionate about her art. I hope and pray that she keeps up the hard work and promotes Indian film culture even more in other places in the US and at the same time, I wish to thank Katrina for loving India and Indian films and calling us her own.
I have always believed that a dancer is the luckiest person. Not only because they are creative and can make all their imaginations come alive through their dance moves, but also because whenever they travel, they make friends very easily and the relationship that develops is only because of the medium of dance that gets them to bond with other people. I had mentioned before in my article that I was invited to perform at the Seattle India dance festival in the US recently. On this trip of mine to Seattle and the three weeks I spent in the magnificently beautiful city, my assistants Supriya Shah, Manasi Desai and I met a very interesting person — someone who connected with us because of the love for dance. And not just any dance, her love was for Bollywood dancing.
She was introduced to me as one of the dancers who would be performing for me in my dance segments. My dance piece had a total of 22 performers and she was one among them. But, the first thing that caught my attention was her name — Katrina Ji. Well, at first I thought that she has named herself after Katrina Kaif. But when I spoke to her more, I realised that it was a coincidence that she and the Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif shared the same name. So my next question was, why ‘Ji’? That too, I realised, was her real surname. Katrina Kaif has become a star now, but Katrina Ji has been in the dance scene far longer than Katrina Kaif’s career in Bollywood.
Katrina Ji started dancing since the age of four and by now she has a wealth of dance experience behind her. She is a certified ATS Belly Dance Instructor by Carolena Nericcio of FCBD. She is also certified in Entry Level Flamenco by the Spanish Dance Society. Her childhood dance foundation has been in ballet, tap and acrobatics. But what she loves the most is the Bollywood dance and Bhangra.
Though Katrina cannot speak Hindi, she watches every Bollywood film and loves Rani Mukherjee. Her love for Bollywood dance has got her to India many a times and she has trained under many experts from the film world. I was surprised to visit her dance studio in Seattle by the name Culture Shakti Dance Company. Without being an Indian or a Hindu, she has the word Shakti used in her company, as she believes that “the power” or the “shakti” of love of dance has helped her set her dance school and performance company.
Her entire studio has a very Rajasthani feel — with puppets, the famous katputli, everywhere. The main door welcomes the guest with a toran and a symbol of Om along with a diya kept near the music system so that a prayer can be performed before the class begins. Being a person who is born and brought up in Seattle in the US, she seems more Indian to me compared to most Indians living in India.
Katrina has been teaching ATS Belly Dance since 2001. In 2007, she was amongst the first group of teachers to be certified as a Sister Studio ATS Belly Dance Instructor by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance .
In 2010, she began Bollywood dance classes in Seattle and post that her institute has been nominated as the best in western Washington by King 5/ Evening Magazine, which makes me feel proud that she is taking so much interest in promoting our films and dances in another far away land.
People like Katrina Ji are rare gems who willingly adopt another culture and everything about a country and a place, only because they love it from the bottom of their heart. The love for India and Indian culture is so clear in Katrina Ji’s lifestyle that it is touching. The only regret she has is that she is trying her best to learn Hindi, but is not very good with learning foreign languages, so she has not been able to speak in the right accent and in the proper way.
When I meet dancers like Katrina Ji, I sometimes wonder how pure their souls must be to be accepting and to change oneself completely to fit into a new culture. My heart is all for Katrina and her love affair she is having with the Bollywood music and dance moves. She is superbly dynamic, graceful, and passionate about her art. I hope and pray that she keeps up the hard work and promotes Indian film culture even more in other places in the US and at the same time, I wish to thank Katrina for loving India and Indian films and calling us her own.
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Community Coordinator Spotlight: Katrina Ji
What does it mean to be a Northwest Folklife Community Coordinator? Great question! This is a group of dedicated individuals from all walks of Northwest life. These people give of their time and resource to bring their own cultural traditions to the greater community through Northwest Folklife. Today, we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Ji, the Artistic Director, Choreographer, and lead dancer of Culture Shakti, a dance studio that bridges the gap between east and west, providing dances classes for Belly Dance, Bollywood, Bhangra, Rajasthani, Garba, and more. Katrina is the Northwest Folklife Community Coordinator for the Bollywood Showcase at the Northwest Folklife Festival. What cultural traditions do you share with the greater community? The Bollywood Showcase highlights a variety of high octane Bollywood dances from India including Bhangra, Garba, Tollywood and more. Please share the Northwest Folklife events you have contributed programming for? Not only have I been contributing to the Bollywood Showcase each year, I initiated the Bollywood Showcase. In addition, I also program a Bollywood Dance Party with DJ Kazan and other local DJ’s along with a dance lesson by myself. Plus this past year, I programmed a Bollywood Kids Showcase on the new outdoor stage. What does it mean to you and to your community to be connected to Northwest Folklife? I am thrilled to be an advocate for promoting Bollywood and Folk Dances of India at the Northwest Folklife Festival. I have been the community organizer for five years now. Being part of the Festival has helped our company gain visibility for larger opportunities including the Democrats of Washington Holiday Party and the F.U.S.I.O.N. Gala Auction Fundraiser. Can you recall a performance memory that had an impact on you? One of my fondest memories at the Northwest Folklife Festival was seeing a group of young girls that I had been teaching through Aki Kurose. (Group Healths’s Teen Youth Mentorship Program) on the stage. They were so proud. I am so happy they were provided the opportunity to participate as a school field trip. They were so excited for the opportunity to dress up in the costumes that I provided them on the Armory Stage. |
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What to See at Folklife #313: Bollywood!
(Many thanks to Katrina Ji for this guest post. Did you know that next year our Cultural Focus is India? Look forward to even more Indian dance and music to come. Full 2013 Folklife schedule is online now at www.nwfolklife.org/festival.) The Bollywood Project I am so excited to be hosting the Bollywood Showcase (sponsored by NW Asian Weekly) for the 3rd year at the Northwest Folklife Festival! Our first year was a mere 30 min showcase on the Mural Amphitheater Stage. Now we are hosting a full 90 minute show at the Exhibition Hall (International Stage) on Friday, May 24 beginning at 7pm. What’s even more special is that I am hosting 3 of my former teachers in Bollywood Dance (Shub Gill, Nalini, Mollie Singh)! Now, I have my own dance company, The Bollywood Project. Recently, I spent a month in India where I obtained costumes from a Bollywood costume rental shop in Mumbai (Bombay). During Bhangra Bistar, we will be wearing costumes that were worn in a real Bollywood movie! Another exciting thing about The Bollywood Project’s performance this year is that we have collaborated with Chi Shen, Bhangra choreographer. While in India, I performed with International star Queen Harish at the India Military Base in Rajasthan. I also had the honor of meeting Kamruddin Khan. He is not only a musician but a dance choreographer. He taught Aishwarya Rai the dances for Nimbooda. It was fun looking through his scrapbook of stars that he has worked with. Along with Kamruddin, I met his brother Immamdin Khan (Director, Ustad Arba Music Group), Suva Devi (Khalbelia Dancer, Starred in Latcho Drom) and 7 other musicians. We are working on a USA Tour called Rajasthani Caravan in Summer 2014. Rajasthani Caravan Many Bollywood songs have been based on the old folk songs of Rajasthan. So, we are very excited to be working with this group. I have integrated some Rajasthani Dance into my students choreography Dil Dhak Dhak Dadke that will be seen in the Bollywood Showcase. Katrina Ji, Artistic Director (Want to try a little Bollywood dancing yourself? Katrina will also be hosting a workshop at 1pm on Friday t0o!) |
#TRENDING
"The Bollywood Project Dance Company, Seattle Professional dance company gives sizzling Bollywood-style performances and - better yet - choreography instruction. Glad to see America finally catching on to B-Wood!" WH
#mudras
#technicolorrazzledazzle
~Wes Hurley, City Arts
December 2011
"The Bollywood Project Dance Company, Seattle Professional dance company gives sizzling Bollywood-style performances and - better yet - choreography instruction. Glad to see America finally catching on to B-Wood!" WH
#mudras
#technicolorrazzledazzle
~Wes Hurley, City Arts
December 2011
A beginner's guide to Bollywood dancing May 22, 2017
by Jenna Luthman
Let's be honest, most people love to dance (mainly in the privacy of their own home) but, either way, people love to BREAK. IT. DOWN. That's why we're dedicating May to be our Unofficial Official Dance Month. You're welcome.
Refined's Unofficial Official Dance Team, (aka web writer Gena Wynkoop and TV contributor Carey Brandenburg), have done Hip-Hop, Pole Dancing and Salsa... and we have saved the best for last: BOLLYWOOD! And this time: Refined's uncoordinated but good sport host Gaard Swanson joined them.
This is the one style of dance that our crew almost knew nothing about. Carey said, "I know it's a lot of energy, a lot of hands and it reminds me of the end of Slumdog Millionaire."
The crew headed over to Beacon Hill to take dance classes at Culture Shakti with instructor Katrina Ji.
"I just love Bollywood cause it's so emotional and silly," said Ji. "You can just let your guard down and ham it up."
And boy, did Refined's team do just that!
Carey, Gena and Gaard bounced a lot, laughed a lot and had one of the best times in that Bollywood class.
You have to see it to believe it! Watch their Bollywood class in the clip.
WARNING: There's a lot of booty shaking.
link
by Jenna Luthman
Let's be honest, most people love to dance (mainly in the privacy of their own home) but, either way, people love to BREAK. IT. DOWN. That's why we're dedicating May to be our Unofficial Official Dance Month. You're welcome.
Refined's Unofficial Official Dance Team, (aka web writer Gena Wynkoop and TV contributor Carey Brandenburg), have done Hip-Hop, Pole Dancing and Salsa... and we have saved the best for last: BOLLYWOOD! And this time: Refined's uncoordinated but good sport host Gaard Swanson joined them.
This is the one style of dance that our crew almost knew nothing about. Carey said, "I know it's a lot of energy, a lot of hands and it reminds me of the end of Slumdog Millionaire."
The crew headed over to Beacon Hill to take dance classes at Culture Shakti with instructor Katrina Ji.
"I just love Bollywood cause it's so emotional and silly," said Ji. "You can just let your guard down and ham it up."
And boy, did Refined's team do just that!
Carey, Gena and Gaard bounced a lot, laughed a lot and had one of the best times in that Bollywood class.
You have to see it to believe it! Watch their Bollywood class in the clip.
WARNING: There's a lot of booty shaking.
link
Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India Newspaper February 2016
Katrina Ji with Queen Harish & Guest Dancers (These dancers came to India with Katrina Ji on her annual cultural dance tour.)
Katrina Ji with Queen Harish & Guest Dancers (These dancers came to India with Katrina Ji on her annual cultural dance tour.)
