It all started when…

I began dancing at the age of 3, when I started taking ballet and soon after, completed my first round of garba in the grown-up circle (IYKYK). From that point I was hooked on dance and was fortunate to have the perfect blend of dance training - South Asian dance at home and via Bollywood movies (Madhuri Dixit is my unofficial guru), and studio dance classes covering ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and clogging. Dance has always been my way to feel true joy. No matter my mood, the day I have had, or other negativity in my life, dance is my release - my true joy. It's because of this connection, that I chose to turn my passion into my work. 

After college and graduate school I went on to work at a consulting firm as an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist. But I never stopped dancing. When the opportunity presented itself to start teaching kids in the area, I co-founded Doonya, left my corporate job, and the current path was created. The journey began with teaching kids, to creating a curriculum of Bollywood basics for both adults and kids, to becoming a group fitness instructor and soon after having my first child, taking my first steps into mindfulness. My personal mindfulness practice allowed me to bring mindfulness to my own kids and then to begin fusing it into my dance and creative movement classes. Through various training platforms and my teaching opportunities with Hope Stone, Inc., I continue to grow in teaching mindfulness and make that the central theme of all the classes I teach. 

I currently teach kids' creative movement, Bollywood, and mindfulness classes and am available for private events and choreography needs for both kids and adults. I have also taught numerous intensives and workshops for beginner to advanced level dancers through HTX Connect, HSPVA, and other dance schools in the Houston area. I look forward to dancing and breathing with YOU soon. 

Follow me on IG: Kajal Desai (@kajaldesaidance) • Instagram photos and videos