Divya has been dancing since the age of six. She started with Bharatnatyam but eventually found her way to street and club styles. She is now known around India as one of the best afro dancers.
Divya at Red Bull Dance Your Style 2024 South India Qualifiers
© Focus Sports
Divya aims to do live performances and productions under her dance company and run successful shows across the country. After 10 years of technical training in Bharatnatyam, she built an extremely strong foundation for dance and has been using her knowledge to help further the scene in India.
Here she speaks about her dance journey, her dream stage, and much more.
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Name: Divya Easwaran
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Age: 33
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City: Bengaluru
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Dancer name: Divya
Are you part of any crew?
I’m part of two crews. The first crew is Afrontal; it is India’s first dedicated Afro-Caribbean dance crew, with members from Chennai and Bengaluru. I am also part of another crew which I founded; it is called OWND Entity and is an all-styles crew from Bengaluru.
Where do you usually practice?
I usually practice at my studio ARDS India, or at home.
Could you tell us about how you got started in dance and your journey so far?
I started dancing at the age of six. I started with technical training in Bharatnatyam, which I practiced for 10 years. When I was in my second year of engineering college in 2019, I was introduced to street and club dance styles. I joined a crew and started training in these styles. I studied dance and music extensively. It got to a point where I had learnt multiple styles, and I’ve been having fun mixing them up ever since.
Divya at Red Bull Dance Your Style 2024 South India Qualifiers
© Focus Sports
What is the main street dance style you practice? How or why did you get drawn to this style?
My main style is afro dance. From a dance standpoint, I loved the honesty in afro dance, the groovy movements, the facial expressions, and mostly the polycentric nature of the dance. In terms of music, I loved that afro is always happy and has intricate rhythm patterns. The variety and cultural richness within the African continent and its similarity to traditional Indian dance forms instantly drew me in.
Aside from your main style, what other street dance styles do you practice?
I also practice hip-hop, popping, breaking, waacking, dancehall, and house.
Which is your favourite genre of music or favourite song to dance to?
Neo-soul – that’s something I can listen to at any time of the day. My favourite artist is Erykah Badu. I love afro with a bit of disco for when I’m practicing dance.
Who are the dancers from the local and international scene who have inspired you?
I like to learn multiple things from different people. I believe there’s always something that someone can offer, whether it’s in skill, personality, or how they conduct themselves. But there are a few people I respect as an entity because they create something great with their work while also being extremely skilful dancers. One is Daniel Campos aka B-Boy Cloud, the other is Phillip Chbeeb, whose work I really like.
Divya at Red Bull Dance Your Style 2024 South India Qualifiers
© Focus Sports
What do you love most about street dance culture?
I love that it’s free. It’s always pushing you to find your individual sense of expression while also giving you a sense of community because there is solidarity in movement and musicality. Even though the language is the same, there are different accents. So that’s what I like.
What do you remember of your first-ever dance battle?
I started battling quite late into my career. I decided to go for this battle called Challenge Cup India 2014 in Chennai. Before going on stage, I thought I had enough training, but once on stage I realised I had nothing.
What has been your greatest achievement in dance so far?
I can’t really name an achievement because I’m constantly looking for new avenues to grow. Apart from competing, I also love to perform on stage. And I enjoy working as a director and scriptwriter as well. I’m constantly looking for new roles to make me better.
Is there any one stage, event, or competition that will be a dream achieved if you perform there?
VIBE Dance Competition in California; I’d like to go there with a crew.
Is there a particular goal or target you have set yourself in your dance career?
I have two goals:
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I’m more of a group person. I’ve put together a crew to work on live performances and productions. I want to do shows across the country with this crew.
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I want to establish a course for dancers which entails not just movement, but also physiology, functionality, and mind-body connection.
Any dancer across the world that you want to collaborate with?
B-Boy Cloud
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