DESI ACHIEVERS
Vol 1, Issue 15 Sept 16 -30, 2021
AHALYA KAMINENI Donning many hats with success
www.indianabroad.news
kind of branding, or is it an attempt to send the message to the youth across the world, ‘Hey, look, we are distinct from others, so come and join us wherever you are? The leader and founder of the crew loves to make a statement. At the time when he started the crew, K-Pop was not yet popular in Adelaide and liking it sort of made you an outcast. So I would say he did create the name sort of, with an intent to depict that we’re different and there’s a place for you to come do what you love without being judged. K-Pop and genres like these are an expression of our inner urge to dance and to be creative through the way we enact it. Are there other benefits as well, especially for the youth irrespective of the culture they belong to? There are definitely so many more benefits to dance than meets the common eye. I’ve bonded with so many friends that share the same passion as me and you develop great
“
Dance is also a great way to measure hard work and self-improvement. For most dancers, there is nothing more satisfying than comparing their old dance videos with new ones.
“
W
hen youth become passionate about culture and all the good things associated with it, they are enthused to pursue their academics, employment and creative work all the more. But to be passionate about it all is one thing and to manage them consistently tells a lot about the personality who has exhibited all these talents. In an exclusive interview to Indian Abroad, Ahalya Kamineni who has all the ingredients to become a celebrity and an inspiration for any modern youth, shares her experience of leading a life full of knowledge, professionalism, diligence and professionalism. According to your personal profile, you are a third year student at the University of Adelaide studying a double degree in Law and Arts (Media). You also work part time at an accessory store. Besides, you are a part of a K-Pop dance crew and you do K-Pop covers in public and have a YouTube channel. How do you manage your academics, employment and creative work? Don’t you get stressed or feel paucity of time? If I’m being honest, it’s a struggle. A lot of the times I pull late nights to manage my university work. To make things harder most of the time, I add more things to my plate like at the moment I’m participating in a Moot competition at Law school. I create a schedule for each week and try my best to stick to it to get all my work done. During critical times at the university such as exam or assignment season, I try to take a break from dance to focus on my degree. Now, your daily routine, quite apparently, comprises a variety of activities. Have you ever felt it difficult to switch your mind from say, academics to the demands of employment to the requirements of a more demanding creative work? I’ve definitely found it to be difficult to switch at times. Sometimes when I’m excelling at work I find that I’m not doing as well in other areas and vice versa. So I try to dedicate my full focus to each individual activity when they require it the most. For example I give my full attention to dance when we’re about to film a cover, to academics when there’s an assessment, and to work when we have a new target KPI to meet. Therefore, while I’m not able to simultaneously succeed in all areas, at least I’m able to succeed in each individual area when it matters the most. Since when did you feel you had something creative within you tickling you to give it expression? And why did you especially take to the K-Pop genre? I’ve always been in touch with myartistic side whether it was painting or singing. I feel K-Pop is so unique because the artists both sing and dance. The songs and choreography are designed to attract the audience, idols spend years training to master their skills which makes me admire them even more. In early 2018, my friends introduced me to K-Pop and when I saw the dance practice video for Blackpink’s Ddu Ddu Ddu for the first time, I thought to myself “woah I wanna look as cool as them”. So I pulled up a tutorial on YouTube and that was the birth of a new passion for me. The name ‘Kult Crew’ seems to perk us all up and we watch the Youtube channel to know more about it. Why has the name ‘Kult Crew’ been chosen? Is it merely to give it a
team skills when being a part of a crew. Dance is also a great way to measure hard work and self-improvement. For most dancers, there is nothing more satisfying than comparing their old dance videos with new ones. Finally, it is also a sense of discipline - you have to keep up and practise hard to make sure the cover looks good and to be selected for top covers. I believe this is true for all forms of dance. And finally, in a world increasingly marred by wars, violence, climate change and diseases and deaths, bereft of peace and stability, do you see any constructive role for culture, especially the vibrant types like K-Pop? I believe that when a lot of people feel a strong connection with a culture, that culture can be used for the benefit of the world. Idols have strong fan bases so a lot of them have been using that for good recently. For example, BTS promoted a ‘Love Yourself’ campaign and Blackpink recently advocated a climate change campaign.
/IndianAbroadNews
/indianabroadnews
5
