“I believe in ‘Community First’ philosophy and promote ‘Dance for a cause’. Anyone can dance but it’s meaningless if it does not bring true happiness and wellbeing around us.” Today’s woman dreamer, Ekta Jain, is the founder of Ekta Dance Academy. From kathak to bollywood, salsa to hip-hop, Ekta has been a passionate dancer for many years. Outside of her dance career, she embodies a “community-first” mindset, actively working with numerous community organizations like ISW, SEWA, and more. As we enter the season of giving, we are excited to share her inspiring story!

1. Tell us your story. You are the founder/owner of Ekta Dance Academy and are a talented performer. Tell us more about how you grew up and what inspired your passion for dance. 

Dance inspired me from my childhood. My inspiration is my mother who herself was a Kathak dancer. I grew up in a family who loves music and performing arts. Happiness that I get from teaching dance to all age groups (4 – 80 years) and people from different cultures motivates me to learn more and do better every time. I started my formal dance school in 2003 and have trained over 5,000 students in India and US since then.  

2. Is there a particular performance you are most proud of? Tell us about it.

I take pride as teacher every time my students perform and receive appreciation. Especially when Mom’s who are housewives and senior citizens perform in the presence of their families. Most of them had never done a public performance earlier in their lives. This brings tears of happiness in my eyes when these girls thank me for the encouragement and helping them live their dreams which were left behind somewhere.

As a dancer, I feel happy when I choreograph my own fusion dances like Kathak on a Gazal, a musical with a message or a Indian folk dance on English songs. 

3. What do you like most about teaching dance? How do you think Indian dance empowers young women? 

It gives me a great sense of satisfaction by teaching dance to kids and helping them connecting with Indian culture and roots. Most of my students are born and grew up in US. I explain them the emotions behind the dance and meaning of the songs they are performing on. They even sing along while dancing even if they do not know or speak that Indian language. Their joy and happiness after every performance is my biggest achievement.

Indian dances help with the personality development by building confidence and discipline. It improves their communication skills, body language and empowers young women in expressing themselves. Many women who fear public speaking or stage fear, have overcome these inhibitions by learning Indian dances. It brings their hidden and suppressed talents out and achieve success not only in dance but also in their personal and professional lives. Dance is a proven stress buster and helps women in networking. Some of my women students have met each other first time in my dance classes and are now the best friends. 

4. You are also passionate about serving the community and giving back. Tell us more about your community work, and what motivated you to get involved. 

I believe in ‘Community First’ philosophy and promote ‘Dance for a cause’. Anyone can dance but it’s meaningless if it does not bring true happiness and wellbeing around us. Through my dance academy, I support various NGO’s, cultural organizations and theater groups like SEWA, Volunteering For Seniors (VFS), EKAL, Cancer Shakti Foundation, Indian Society of Worcester (ISW), SETU etc. by fund raising, creating public awareness and memberships. My academy participates in over 50 events every year and support around 30 organizations in their community work in India and US. I voluntary contribute to many local community events and initiatives by offering my time and efforts. We all must do our part and help each other to make this Earth better place to live for all.

5. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?

I’m a dreamer myself and being a dancer, I have an endless hunger to do bigger and better every time and every day. I would like to bring Indian dance to every house in US. Dance brings people closer and by creating more awareness among non-Indian communities, I want to bring Indian women on the international stage and get them the recognition they deserve. I’m working on my next big project - International Bollywood Dance Fest where women from many races and ethnicity would join hands to learn and showcase their dancing talent on stage.

Thank you Ekta for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!

Bio: Ekta Jain, the founder of Ekta Dance Academy, is a multi-talented personality who loves performing and teaching Indian dances like Kathak and Bollywood. She is also trained in western dance forms like Salsa and Hip-hop. Ekta is teaching dance for over 20 years and lives in Westborough, MA. Through her academy, she participates in over 50 events every year and support around 30 organizations in their community work in India and US. She enjoys doing theater, poetry and story-writing in her free time.