Jaya Karan

🪔 About

Jaya Karan is a prominent dancer-entrepreneur and a significant figure in the Indian dance community in Melbourne, Australia. Born in Canada of Fijian Indian descent, her family migrated to Australia when she was ten years old. She pursued a career as a corporate Physiotherapist after studying physiotherapy at university in Melbourne. Despite a lifelong love for dance, Jaya did not receive formal training as a child. She began dancing as a hobby in her early 20s, performing with various Bollywood dance groups in Melbourne and Sydney. It was at the age of 32, in 2010, after having children, that she decided to prioritize her passion and began formal Bharatanatyam classes. In 2011, Jaya co-founded Sapphire Dance, a Bollywood dance company, with her sister-in-law Piyali, aiming to blend Bollywood with technical aspects of Indian classical dance. She later founded Studio J Dance in 2016, which has grown to become Australia's largest Indian dance studio. Jaya has since retired from her corporate physiotherapy career to dedicate herself full-time as a dancer and studio owner. As the owner and director of both Studio J and Sapphire Dance, Jaya Karan is a driving force behind their success. She choreographs, teaches, performs, and collaborates with leading artists in Australia's Indian dance community. Her performances have taken her internationally to places including Hong Kong, New Zealand, Guam, and Pakistan. Jaya teaches a fusion style known as "Bolly-Natyam" and is passionate about making Indian dance accessible and encouraging people of all ages to dance.