Manpreet Toor: "Dancer, Choreographer, and YouTube Star" | Talks at Google

I. Grew. Up watching a lot of Bollywood, films, my mom is super Bollywood and I. Just. Had this like, crazy attraction. Towards the way she danced and I was always like I want to dance like that especially the Nick in the 90s but yeah right yeah, the Shahrukh Khan and all, these yeah, yeah. I love ya, she. Was very big still, awesome. So. What. Part of Madra, did, creativity. Or choreography. Kind, of inspired you. I think, what, attracted me most to her was like her Grace and then her expressions, there's so many amazing obviously. Actor, actresses. In the industry, but she, just has the spark yeah, just you just want to keep watching her and I used to rewind. Everything. Look at all the movies like when the songs that come on under wind them back and then rewatched them over and over and over and try to like mimic her is there like a favorite clip, you kind of watch over and over this. Song is probably not really appropriate but I used to always watch Joe Lee get BJ guys oh I like every. Depression. In there yes. So. Do you take forms. Over like. Elements, from our dance or in your creative process and you, bring. A copy I think so I think, when. I first started dancing with Nana I used to dance with Anna and we. Both used to just kind of take, her moves okay. Pleased to do all of her moves and like try to mimic her and he kind of way her body language and it's crazy because she she, she, doesn't just do like been. One move she moves like her entire body yeah, I feel like we used to always just kind of try to like mimic her yeah yeah I'll. Do yeah. I still. Watch movies so, how are you managing all this Fame, and, then still. Holding, on to your culture back home and, family even when you started, how, did you handle all this um. Obligations kind, of I mean, it's it's it's a challenge, every day yeah, but. My parents are, definitely my friends everyone keeps me very grounded, they don't care who I am, they. Don't ever. Give me that kind of a and it's like I go to work and then I come home and I, have this amazing balance, in life mm-hmm. And I feel like that definitely helps me kind, of like deal. With everything. I, don't. Think I'm famous like I always I just think that I'm, able to connect to people in, a different way and. That happens to be through dance and dance is a universal language, so, and. I get a lot of you, know other ethnicities, at my workshops, and. Some. Of them don't speak English actually in New York I had someone fly from Colombia oh well and she didn't speak English so, she came, and she took the class and she, just kept saying thank you thank you thank you and from. Here yeah so it was just it's just so cool that I was able to like we were able to connect not through words. But through day oh sure yeah I think your dance it has a very. Cool. Simplistic, body but it's very nice to look at as well so yeah. So. Yeah when. You started out at YouTube I think one of your first videos was Bollywood, works Mangrum buddy playground. Right, that was your first video by playground videos daddy, um yeah one of our first like dance videos, like okay yeah okay so you have we, started the channel and like it was like funny because I had a I did a TV show on PTC, Punjabi a lot, of people don't know about um, and I hosted, it okay, and I used to always tell me they're like we got to make a channel together we got to make a channel together so we created, this channel and I used to do funny stuff like I used to go like on the streets of San Jose and like. Try to teach people how to dance last month and stuff oh yeah I'm like I think the pokemons go was like really big back then oh yeah yeah there's to go to all the Pokemon go there were so many it was like everyone. Was like I've, never seen people out like that I thought I used, to go up to them and like teach them dance me we kind of do it did videos like that we. Were just having fun yeah I'm studying, and then you saw like all people like this one watch on you guys yeah, we. Were having, fun okay yeah then we decided even, we did wonder line we're, still till today just having fun okay but we. Did that for fun and then we. Posted it and. Like. Wait a minute. What. Just happened it went viral and, it was it was, cool. Yeah four stars so. When you started, this so now when you started this channel what. Kind of doors have opened up for you what kind of things, have, you seen. That can be made possible there every, door possible, that I thought can never open for me has opened and, I always, feel very blessed I don't take all the opportunities, just because I.

Want. To stay grounded to dance and I want to stay true to like my passion and I feel like it's very easy to go from dancing, to acting and then kind of lose what, I started, so, I stayed. True yeah, like it was our team we kind of had we always had this goal and to. Kind, of stay true to dance and just kind of follow through but definitely. A lot of opportunities, and I got to meet a lot of amazing people. And. They're. All so nice yeah, everyone's, nice yeah, okay. So nice yeah so, now you have this huge following. This huge. Subscriber. Base with you yeah where would you like to take this career now like now I'm Gus you're starting. These workshops, oh yeah. The world, I. Definitely. Want to open. A bunch of schools I have a school, where. I live in my hometown I don't advertise it but I. Do have a school there but I do want to open dance. Schools all, around, India. The, world wherever. I can wherever I can reach and wherever, it's. Possible so oh yeah, okay, and what kind of dance or these kind, of schools teeth. Well my. Academy. We teach everything, we teach Branagh we have a jazz instructor. Okay. I don't teach there yet okay so once I'm done traveling I will okay, but. Yeah. We kind of cover everything, ballet, anything. Okay. Dance okay, is these just for the beginner people or people, who want to go into professional anybody. Yeah okay, yeah Wow nice. So. Let's focus more on your YouTube, career. That's. Kind of like your bread, and butter right now that's where you started your oh definitely, where we built our Brad yes so what, kind of pros and I guess cons. Have you seen while. Working with YouTube I. Always. Say YouTube, Instagram. These are your biggest, platform yes. It's. Your biggest stage so I mean we can sit here and I can perform but I'm not going to get the biggest audience like I would on YouTube, yeah it's. Definitely a way to grow the only, issue we have ever had is we're not able to monetize, our videos a lot. Of people don't know that so we actually don't make anything off of youtube it's just a form a. Way for us to brand ourselves and, to get us out there. But. I am actually, working, I was, in the studio yesterday so I'm coming out with a song I'm not singing but. I'm gonna come out with a song and it's, gonna be purely mine and have some amazing, artists on it and. Yes. I'll be able to finally monetize, so I'm super excited you're. Writing this song um I wish I could write, my. Friend job B is not that great I try, but it's not that great. Um. Well. We just started we got to beat down okay, so we had a, couple, of artists to kind of check it out and then we got the, medley. Going okay now we have to get the lyrics down in linear eggs and then the choreography, and then yeah so we're gonna do. The song and then shoot, a video okay, so go that's, awesome yeah so um what, kind of artists are you working with this one I can't, speak of it yeah but we haven't locked it down okay, but Jay static, he's a producer yes he is producing the. Song and he's an amazing producer he's worked with a lot, of big, names in the industry so I'm really excited to work with him yeah okay, yeah okay. So, YouTube. Is one part, what. About going into like no Bollywood. And, all that stuff okay how do you feel about that do you want to go into Bollywood and I mean I'm sure you're very talented so you can definitely step, into it but, how do you feel about that I was, presented.

The. Opportunity and, I did go and I. Just felt that at, that time it wasn't what. I wanted mm-hmm. It, wasn't something that I don't, want to act like I wasn't into all of that I'm still until all of that I still just want to dance okay. But, I really want to go into the Punjabi, industry, and I've gotten a lot of opportunities for, like acting. But, when I present the idea of choreography they're, kind of just like. Yeah. Maybe making. Enemies yeah okay so, I still, like, I'm still trying to get my foot in that door like. As in like let me choreograph, like one song let me do whatever do. But. If I if I can have the opportunity to choreograph in Bollywood which I, feel. Like if I go to India I might I might get that opportunity but I. Would, love it okay yeah yeah, as a choreographer okay, but no it's really hard there because I worked with okay I worked with Prince and Alicia yeah and Ameth Khan so I got to see how hard it is as a choreographer okay yeah but you wouldn't want to act. Maybe. In like ten years okay I, don't want like a mom role okay. More of a mom. But. You weren't part of a Bollywood briefly. Yeah, briefly if I rub that right yeah how, was that experience like how, did that happen I remember, just like standing, there so, I mean production, here is amazing in America, but. In, India it is like, just. Crazy, okay. It is like insane, there you know like they, got like 200 people on the crew some. Of them are not even doing anything but. Like. One person is gonna hold your water it's like crazy how's it work it's actually really cool to watch but the production itself like the way they shoot films, and the, way that they have everybody set up around and, the way that the cameras, are just like all around you it's it's a little intimidating, because I wasn't I've never seen that before okay that was like the coolest part, about the experience, there yeah yeah. In, my mind it's very big and yeah these. Mainstream actors who chante, I guess was that yeah. Okay yeah, he's an awesome dancer, oh yeah it's. In the video he, kills it when, he gets his energy, pretty. Good I mean you're a really good day - yeah, me and Alisha are in the back just like I. Think. You should oh yeah. So. How. Did you start with playground, now, your your. Dance studio is that's, Oda. Ground I'm. Branded, under playground, other company they, man they're my management okay, so we did going. Back to the TV show we started a TV show together and then. We just became friends they're, really chill okay, they're, a bunch of dudes and it's like me you have to deal with me all the time you know, but. They're, awesome. So. Yeah, we've we've got we've we've gotten like way back oh yeah yeah that's, cool. Okay. Cool how, did you come up with this now you working. With playground making all these music videos alright. How. Did you come up with this whole, tour. Now the season tour not to make this more mainstream and, getting. It more out there, and, the month beat style dance how, does that possible I feel like with my workshops, it was kind of like a demand, kind of thing um obviously. Like dance is so new, and in. America, I think that like kind of what I'm doing is like very new not. A lot of people. Are pursuing. It as a career, because we. Don't get paid by YouTube, yeah we don't we're technically not youtubers, right so we have to find some way. Of making. An income right, now, make. That money so ok with. Demand we started doing workshops and, then I started loving it because I used to actually teach yeah, I used my whole life I taught like even when I was going to school I was constantly, teaching and I.

Love. Teaching and I just forgot how much I love teaching and I did that first workshop and I was like can we keep doing this so, every month we get to pick a place, and we, go and I. Have the best time of my life yeah, that one day it literally makes up for, every day I. Was there last weekend. I didn't. Know it was plastic Oh. Still. Did you're like yeah I started, trying yeah, yeah you could be honest but I did get a thumbs up you did yeah, I was proud of you I know thanks. So, yeah so seems, like from your videos you are more into this Punjabis, traditional. Punjabi style oh yeah. Is this something really. That kind of dance you really like or do you want to now. Go, into more Bollywood or. In semi classical or, I'm poke at heart okay, um I grew up doing fun tada yeah, my, god kid though so it's just kind of like it just runs in me and I can't like help myself okay. Um I do venture off here and there to like other genres, but I always come back to know. Can I feel like it's. Missing yeah, right now yeah yeah yeah I don't know I personally feel that way like in movies and. Even. Like other dancers, like everyone's. Kind of more, fusion right now and I I'm doing the same thing right but I feel like it's really good to just come back and yeah come like long leji was very folks I, just didn't belong and that was very folks oh, I had, I enjoy it the most ready these dancers, so these are people who work with you or so these are students are these are students yeah they're students at dream. Studios is my studio okay, um there's they're students that. Are outer stood at our studio, and they're very young they're 13 14 years old oh my yeah they're, really awesome I've seen those and. View elaborate I knew everybody, in China as well I, did work with Shivani and Chaya actually. Worked with them here in New York yet I thought I came for oh. Yeah. I was here two, years ago I think yeah, okay. So. I was supposed to go on stage with sue-shaun and then they had this an, issue happened, okay so we ended up pulling back and then Shivani and China needed answers so we ended up dancing with bulgy oh yeah.

It, Was really fun okay yeah it was a good time on stage we, did instead of doing I fo did I four rocks, okay. Yeah yeah yeah so. What, about would, you ever try to do other. Languages. Like English, with Spanish sure, I did me gente oh yes, it's a story I have no idea what do you think until he was like music. Yeah. And. That's close are you gonna plan to do more. Okay. So. Are. You also looking for collaborations, like do. You like to collaborate with more stars. Yeah like. Shaman table for example, the. Famous yeah. Yeah, so. How. Do you feel about I, would love to yeah, yeah okay, I would love to when, do you think you're gonna start, I'm. Gonna be going to India soon okay, um, so. If anybody knows any anyone. That can help me in Punjab but I'm gonna be going to Bombay so I, have a few friends there and, I. Did. I do have a couple of friends that. I made on social media so like now we can say that we're friends but, I will be teaching them so I think slowly like once I come. To India I think it might be easier for ya to like yeah. You know kind of work with everything like step into the body wood were other like they want for your own kind of brand I just. Wanna whatever I just want to work with people yeah yeah if, I can spread some. Kind of happiness dance, like I'm cool, with that yeah what. Is your favourite piece let's monthly. Tourists favourite please and then I like yeah. Yes, and then your, favorite video and then that's, mine yes and then not yours as well of mine I would, say long Lachi yeah, I, think, just the process of that was really fun I always I just don't look at the video I kind of look out like how we came about it, mm-hmm that one and then I would say my collaboration, with semi-things, is also YouTube right yeah, um she's. Really fun to work with you didn't that'd be a baby mine yeah baby, yes yeah and, I just, loved like kind, of collaborating. With her um, and she's. She said she's a dancer yeah. She is a dancer she's, to dance and I was I didn't know that was, like was like you're getting like all these moves down I was like did you dance my boy yeah, so. That was definitely those two really my favorite ones like, overall. In. Bollywood, there's so many oh God um. I think, recently, I love Dilbert I feel, like they like. Hit it on the mark okay, I know they've been, like making remake, remakes, yeah right now I'm doing, that now yeah and I think they did that one in a commodity like perfectly, okay, yeah especially, billboard oh okay yeah it's beautiful and she can do yeah she. Can move so I, noticed, from your music videos you kind of go. All style, and getting folk dance but. There's. This new age of Punjabi. Songs coming up especially with, artists. Like Raj yeah. Don't, we then. Hardy. Son do and yeah that stuff do you ever feel like you're gonna choose one of their songs for. Your one of your music videos I don't really look at like any artist, when I think of a song I just. Dance. To whatever I feel I usually, have to listen to the song for two weeks that's not really yeah I, like have to it's.

Funny Like if anybody ever sits in my car they're gonna get totally, bored of me because I'll just keep blasting the thing a song yeah I'll, be able to be on repeat but. Yeah. I don't really I don't really kind of gravitate, towards, artists I kind of gravitate, towards like their music and Logie, it has a lot of good songs yeah alright doesn't have a lot of good songs and. I, mean, in the future like if I ever do that oh yeah your different requests do. I take requires yeah what do you have. Which. One though. That I love that so yeah that's a really good yeah yeah that is a good. Then. You can dedicate you can collaborate with me oh yes yeah. As. A dancer okay but you have to take you for like in the air dog. Okay, what else besides dancing, dude singing. And thank you guys right, no, singing, yes. And. Maybe. In the future like I love to take I feel like you with. Acting like I would need classes, okay I, don't. Understand, acting, and I feel like a lot of people think I do because I do a lot of expressions, yeah in my videos. But it's completely different, I think talking and then. Just singing. And having an expression, is like something completely you, are very I mean you do a lot of expressions in your library. So. I, guess, that is part of acting but then I think with, me like with music I think, it resonates better with me like I'm able to like actually. Relate. To it I kind of like put myself in the situation like, if the guys like being, mean to me that I'll pretend like in the song I'll pretend like being. Mean to me and I'll have those like emotions, or. If I'm like supposed to be happy but okay you're acting I feel like I would need to take a bunch, of classes but, yeah, thinking. You're. Doing great Bonilla, Bonilla, yeah, I had to learn it for my brother's wedding said, okay yeah we, might join oh, okay. Okay. Yeah, if PR, you put. Chicka, we know. It. Prev. Pochi, Karina. Davi. Nalini. Oh bull, una tira. Muthi. Mucha. Queena. Baby. Nothing, in your balloon um did a movie, with chicka. We know I, don't, know if you guys know what that means thank you I. Said, I don't want to talk to you because you don't have a stash. Oh yeah. So you said you were working on like a song of your own kind of um how, do you think like the music space in terms of like Western influence, unlike Bollywood, or Punjabi music, kind. Of plays into like the dance scene oh it's, really big right now I. Think. I don't, know if I'm gonna answer this right but I. Just. Think that right. Now even in India like everybody. Loves American, music because they kind of gravitate, towards it it's kind of like in so. I've noticed like even with dancers, if, they're not dancing to anything that's kind of like hip-hop II but they're still doing hip-hop moves to, Indian. Music. So I think it's like I don't, answer that right like, do you think that's like a good thing of that I think it's an awesome thing because I feel like we. Like. We should be you know kind of like venturing, out to different genres. Like. Hip-hop, like with American, music and it's I mean if you listen to like village eat or, if you listen to a lot of these new artists they have this influence right of like America, and Western music so, I think, it's awesome yeah. Yeah, I'm not like I don't know if I like like to dance to it but, I love listening to it. Same. Thing right. So. Uh I, know that, on your side you did this merchandise. You have, this whole new collection, what, we took oh yeah oh, my god can you explain. A bit more about that yeah so um my. Indian collection is with beat uh new designs, so I'm actually her brand ambassador, so she does like my indian clothing.

And Then she does like we did we came out with chokers, and they did really good yeah, I see that yeah I'm selling out and then I think we just didn't know when to stop not selling those but. It did great but today I'm actually launching, merch, here. In New York for the first time with. Roots gear I'm actually gonna be heading there right after this so I'm really excited, the. Whole concept, behind what. We're launching, is, very, important to me my, team kind of brought up the idea, of notch, anomalies, so national Mali in India is, basically. What it means and. An. English, means like. Like. Somebody who dances, but not in a good way like it's not something, you want to call somebody and. That's like a really. Misused. Term. In India yeah and when, I first started dancing, I was, not. Referred, as that but I kind of felt like when I went to India like my family was like you shouldn't be dancing that girls don't dance or girls, don't do this certain type of Bogota. Which is first started with men or I like boys used to do it that. Girls don't do that or. Just. Like you don't perform at parties and then guys dance on this side girls dance on this side so, obviously. We can't put notch annually on on a shirt, but, we did come up with the term summit, from roots roots gear actually came up with it and it's called nuts nuts and nut which means dance, if you want to dance and, just to kind of spread the message that, you. Know there should be no, stigma behind a, girl, performing. On stage, and. I feel like we've come a long way I feel like we've, with. The YouTube I feel like when I first started I remember there. Wasn't anybody making, youtube videos like that yeah. We started with Bali shake me and Nana okay so we kind of started over a few guys and they kind of aren't there from here okay yeah, so. And, I remember like a lot of dads were like you shouldn't be dancing focus, on school. You know girls don't really perform, and, you know my parents were kind of like. Don't perform at weddings don't perform, at parties and so. We're trying to get rid of that right, stigma, and just kind of be like if you want to dance just dance yeah. Yeah. So where, did this, inspiration. For American guys come from so you do so, you do jewelry and yeah and chokers, yeah and then clothes, yeah, okay where. Did all this I mean chokers I used to wear chokers all the time I was like obsessed with chokers I would even leave the house the choker on it was really the point where everyone's like Kate you need to stop what are you telling. And then I thought it would be cool just to launch something like Indian okay with clothing okay, I love, Indian, clothing if I could come here in a suit or a link I totally would, and. Then. For, the, t-shirts it's just I think just. We. It was time for us to submerge. Okay, so is this primarily and USA, or no, it's gonna be worldwide in two weeks we will launch it online let's. Kind of go, back to your, YouTube. Channel. As. An artist. Especially. As a big artist like yourself. You. You, have to deal with a lot of criticism. Some. Negative.

How. Do you kind of sidestep, that and still grow. As an. Artist even, after that how do you take, that well, I think any criticism, is good. Even. If it's like bizarre, and weird mean, it. I, mean it's all a growth. Right like you're gonna grow from coz I mean everyone can be like you're good you're good you're good or that when, people tell you like hey, like, you, need to work on this we need to work on that and I kind of take everything in I never, usually get mad unless, I. Was body shamed recently, unless, it's like body shaming or something like that but and, then I do speak out because I feel like as, I. Was, given this platform for a reason you, know believe in that so, if I can be a voice for other women, in. Any, way I best. I'm not very vocal on social media, but when I when, I can i I, do right, so yeah I guess. Pertaining to the answer yeah, how do you inspire. Future. Monthly, tourists, or, women. Who go through this kind of stuff and, how. Do I inspire it's, a good question I. Think, because I'm more, quiet on social media, I. Think, just by not, responding, to negative comments, and kind, of always, recognizing. The positive and every I actually, preached a lot of positivity, even. With my friends, and my family and I feel like it's very important, until it's a positive life and to, always look at what's. Full instead of what's empty like a glass bowl but. I think just by kind of showing. That through social media not. Really speaking, on, bad things I guess yeah, yeah. Okay. Smiling, do. It all yeah, recently. You. Got 1 million subscribers, congratulations. Yeah yeah. What's. Your strategy not to go. Bigger with how to get to 2 million or 10 million even I think consistency, is very important, and I've learned that because when I don't. Post a video probably, two months. We. Do lose like we don't lose subscribers but are like. It just start slowing down right number subscribers, we're getting so I think it's really important if, you're pursuing YouTube, or pursuing. Anything on. Social, media to be consistent, to constantly. You, have to keep your audience engaged it's the business of them today right so they. Want to see more they want to see more so you just kind of keep feeding into that okay I know it gets hard sometimes yeah, especially, when you're traveling and, they're good sometimes you know like writer's, block we, get dancers block and, we're like what, song should I do and, then sometimes I'm like I don't want to dance to any song but, I personally, have made this goal in.

The Last couple of months where I need to hit the studio every, day I go to the studio when I'm not, traveling I go to the studio every day even. If I'm not dancing I think I'm, just blasting, music or in the studio I'm just moving my body and it, definitely works so yeah yeah. American. Reality shows and Indian reality shows there's, a big. Emphasis. On dance I guess in today's, society. So. I, don't know if you follow but in India there was boogie-woogie. First and dance india dance and, although. I feel that about those do you. Feel, like you would actually, compete in one of this I was supposed to actually judge one Oh. And when, dancing a dance first started, we were called to it but, at the time we were in high school and. Obviously our parents are like you got to graduate high school at least so. We kind of backed. Off on that and then. We. Just I was, a head of dance partner, at the time and we're both going to school so we kind of kept this as a passion, it wasn't something, we were, trying to pursue and then later, on we tried to but like now I feel like I. Think. I've learned enough about the shows where I don't, know if I would go into it as. A dancer, I wouldn't, mind being, a judge I did. I. Got. The opportunity but, I didn't, go good. And, I'm not sure why I did it but I just didn't go and I. Don't know sometimes India scares me I, get. Scared yeah, it's. Just it's just so hard over there or it's overwhelming, the first time I ever went to India so I'm from Malaysia okay, and and. Then I was brought, up and, raised. In California and, I, went to Indiana I cried for two weeks because, poverty. I, would, I didn't I didn't. Realize how, bad it was over there so every time I go there I get. Distracted by, all of that but. I do try to go into, like you. Know the poor areas, and I try to hang out with the kids. Funny story I brought them Ghirardelli chocolates, and they refused to take them and I. Was like Ghirardelli, tried. They. Wanted water. It's. Just, so amazing yeah, going there like that but it does I'm, just a really soft person like I could cry right now and talk about it but, I think that's what scares me the most is being that and I don't think I can ever get used to that yeah. Yeah and I feel like that's what always stops me yeah. But. I would definitely want to go out there and like yeah, for those reasons and help the kids yeah yeah yeah. You have a 19-3 hi, my name is f1 I love your dance, videos thank you for doing them putting in. I am, just curious how if. You don't mind sharing how life. Changes. After, you, know becoming an artist and. Recognizing. On the streets and, do you love the attention maybe do you have any anecdotes or stories. Yeah. That, you know because, this, is a life-changing, experience for you so would love to get a glimpse of that kind of lifestyle yeah it. Definitely is life-changing, thank you for that question. I, don't. Think I've I don't think I can get used to it. I have, never I, try. To keep myself as grounded and humble as possible, because I always, kind of say this like if I didn't my followers, are they're like my family they made me who I am right, and. Without. Them I wouldn't be sitting, here and wouldn't be doing these workshops I wouldn't be traveling the world so I'm always very grateful, for them as. Far, as like life changing it's been.

It's. Just been so hard to accept sometimes I'm like me cuz like me, and. I always kind of like step back I. Never say no to pictures. I. Always, try to have a conversation I, always try to remember as many people as I can I'm, not like Shah Rukh Khan level or anything but. I feel like if. They. Can appreciate me I should be able to appreciate them. And I always try to show that love back. Just. By kindness and like talking and, things. Like that but my life has been it's. Been good like, in Cali it's. Calm but, recently, every time I go out I feel like I have to wear makeup because everyone's like can I take a picture and then all. The way crap. That's. Been like a little bit hard for me because I don't like wearing makeup and. Yeah. Coming. Here has definitely been hard walking, the streets getting. Recognized, my, mom actually didn't. She. Didn't really understand, my life for a long time she didn't because, I don't talk about it like I don't, tell my mom like oh this person recognized, me. So we brought her here one time and she was really proud and she would always be like I'm her mom you. Want a picture with, but. One cool story when, the first time actually talked about it I did. A I did a. Thing. With Taj. Mahal tea and I had to do a wah moment with them and, one. Of my favorite wahh moments, when I kind, of realized that, maybe, people like me I, went. To Maryland and I had a show and. It. Was insane. Because all of the, performers. They made a tunnel for us and it was like this long tunnel, to. Get to like from our dressing room to the stage and, we're. Walking in there screaming and I just did it just didn't click in my mind because I'm like okay, we got to perform and then. This. Guy's like crying, screaming. Hysterically. Crying, and, he's just saying like oh my god it's you and I was like oh. My. Students, had to my students like what's going on and then. Yeah. That that always. Stuck with me and I was like wow and I remember like calling my mom and I was like I think that we're. Important. Somewhere. In. America, it's total America, when. Someone especially not. A basic, ourselves. When. Someone thinks about Indian dance, they, really think about more, classic. In, classical, art Natyam style especially, if. You ever watch, these. Reality, shows are getting yeah so you think a band and these guys do, these Bollywood routines yeah. Just Nick it. Doesn't, make sense to the Dericks yeah it just it's just part nothing to them yeah so, um, how. Do you how do you think you can bring. That because, now we're very, evolved Lincoln Hanson yeah I mean that, hip up and contemporary. And all that stuff how. Do we kind of dissolve. That kind of, perception. Of ink and dance and like take it to the next level the next level you know as funny is I always think when people come up to me and I tell them that I do Bollywood they're like. And. I'm like at you got it just like that um, I, feel. Like it's just I think it's dissolving, itself, I, know a lot of people that are not Indian. That are attracted. To even Bollywood movies like they're so big I don't know if you know but I heard a mere Khan is huge in China so it's like you. Know they watch the subtitles and, I feel like I, feel. Like it's in itself getting mm-hmm. Yeah kind. Of dissolved. There but, I feel like we're, also as. Dancers, kind of gravitating. Towards like hip-hop and other American, genres that are not like. Traditional Indian. Dances. Which, are kind of like crossing. Over the, team and I know a lot of I, know, a lot of artists. That I've sorry, a lot of dancers who have collaborated with like staff myths that's definite. I'm, gonna say is Matt steffanina Hey okay guys name that I rock yeah um so you know it's all it's it's, happening it's. Happening in itself and I feel like it's. Gonna continue to happen and. Right. Yeah. You. Are sort of your own brand and I'm guessing a fair amount of managing, like the you, know the. Merchandise, line and the tours and all of that is, you. Know you're. A businesswoman also, yeah with a dancer, so I'm curious sort of what, lessons, you've learned along. The way and maybe if you can talk a little bit about that aspect of. Yeah. Um or, you know the business of being I guess a YouTube star even if you can't monetize yeah. Okay. That's a great question thank you. Huh. What, lessons, have I learned a, lot, of lessons. So. My team kind, of handles more, of the business which which is awesome because when it comes to money, oh boy. Like I can't even be like hey, like. You have to pay for I just can't do it even like asking, sometimes, like for my own pay like, oh my god I just I just can't but I've, definitely learned to be like stronger, and. More firm when it to business I used to kind of let things slide and.

Let. People walk all over me kind of thing not. That they probably meant to but they. It's just how the business, world works right but, definitely being more firm I would say like with. What I want. Kind. Of presenting myself in a stronger way because. I look really young usually, people think I'm like 18 19 years old so they don't take me very seriously and, I don't travel, with my team so they're not there to talk business and half the time I have to be, like okay let's talk business but, definitely. Be more firm I still. Stay away from business I. Know I just, don't like. Know. How to fully do it and I didn't grow up around it my dad's an engineer my mom works in. The. Bank and like they don't even talk business so I just wouldn't, ever know and half the time I'm always on the phone calling my manager like what do I say what do I do now. But firm, being firm it's definitely a big lesson so I learned yeah. Especially in India. It's. Funny because I feel like it's like reverse, psychology, there so I was super nice and. Nothing was happening in a minute I was like mean. Look. Everything, happened it was like okay and I was like I don't want to be mean but mush is how they work yeah yeah you, gotta learn everybody's tricks, it's different there obviously can't be mean here you. Know you have to be like nice talk politely or, else you're not going to get anything done but yeah, you kind of gotta learn learn the language of business. Everywhere you go yeah. Well, thank you for being here we, all love your videos so thank you and keep posting, them a, question, for you how do you balance, all. The forms of social media so, YouTube. Snapchat, Instagram. Stay, connected, with your audience but still have enough. Balance. For yourself to have that personal time I believe. In balance a lot I, always try to teach that to my fellow artist friends it's. Really important because it's very easy to especially. With social media to kind of get trapped into it because, I know it's it's like a habit to scroll, and sit there and especially when you're kind of doing what I'm doing where you constantly have to post and like talk.

About Your life all the time. It's so easy to sit there and get like soft. Into it but. Definitely. Putting. I know they have this thing on Instagram, where it tells you how long you put on Instagram for like your activity, so, that's, helped me. It's. Really tough and I feel like it's something you have to kind, of find, in yourself because. When, you get a dick because I know a lot of artists not, artists like people that are addicted to Instagram addicted. To social media and. They're not, instagramers. Or youtubers, so. I can't even like it. I don't know how to explain it I just feel like you have to like find it in yourself to, be, like okay I'm, gonna go like for me I have I have I don't like to post a lot I don't know if you if you check my phone my managers over here like keep. Posting, keep, posting, and I. Don't usually, share a lot of my life unless it's my cute little niece which. I voluntarily, share. But. I feel like kind of bringing, breaking. Down social. Media into, your schedule, as in. Like okay at this time I'm gonna go live and at this time I'm going to post at. This time you. Know we're gonna post a video on youtube so. Kind of keeping it as a business, moreso. Than. A. Personal. Thing I think, helps yeah. But then I guess. For like people who don't have a business I don't, know I know a lot of people are addicted to Instagram, I know they're gonna do a study on it right am, I wrong, they are doing a study on it because it brings a lot of anxiety and then, with Instagram comes like depression because you're comparing yourself and we can go on into, that topic -. Yeah. But keeping it a part of like a schedule is the. Best way for me personally to balance. I don't know how other people do it I would love to learn though it's. Hard yeah. Especially we have to be honest. There's. A lot of Indian, based artists here as well there's. Kunal Nayyar there's, a freedom, Pinto I guess Priyanka Chopra now yeah. Who's. That Lauren Gottlieb but but, she was born here yeah so, um how, do you feel about these, kind of artists. Not inspire you to bring, the craft more and more to Western. Countries like, UK and USA, and how, did their tech deal, how, do they affect me well I feel like any. Woman, especially. SAP. Like South Asian or Indian a, colour like doing, anything here. Is it's. Very important to me I get super inspired, I. Just. I don't. Know how to fully answer that. I. Just. Do inspired by everyone okay yeah okay. Everyone. Inspires me I actually, was. In Canada yesterday, okay and Chuck, me sing, he's. Awesome friend he is running, for Prime Minister of, Canada, and I, didn't, really get to fully, understand. Like what he does out I went up to him and I was like I'm gonna congratulate you but I have no idea what you just won because we. Don't really talk like Canadian politics, here right they know everything about America yeah, so, I. Felt. Like it was really cool to see you, know a person, of color and he is the first one apparently to. Get to that position of color to, see him, you, know stand up and run for something and. It. Inspired, me so I I, mean I'm, not I don't follow Priyanka, Chopra like that I don't follow a lot of these people like that but when. I do see something I definitely do feel inspired, especially, when it's coming from the right someone. Indian, just because it's. Been a struggle right yeah of course in a struggle yeah cool. So what's. Next for my. Tweet or yeah. Dance. Workshops, in India yeah dance workshops, carburation. Okay. Yeah hopefully open a school in India oh never. Come back here now. Yeah. Okay, whoa whoa thank you for being here thank you for having thanks, a great. Time to be here thank you thank, you. You. You.

2019-06-06 14:27

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