Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi.
Hi Naomi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing when I was around 5 years old – my parents had put me in ballet and Bharatanatyam classes partly to fill my time after school but also because they had a love for the arts that they wanted to instill in me. I continued with my training throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school, and I was enamored by the opportunity to perform. I would prepare for the company’s production of The Nutcracker while perfecting a varnam to perform at the local Temple. Meanwhile, I found my passion grew beyond dance, and I studied vocal performance, both musical theater and classical, and took intensive theater classes in school. I had performed in various productions in featured and leading roles, including Wizard of Oz, Children of Eden, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
As an artist, I bring a unique range of expertise that reflects both my Indian and American identities. I’ve trained in Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, for over 15 years under Guru Venkatesh Iyer, and through his guidance, I’ve also learned Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, and various Indian folk styles. Growing up in America, I’ve had the opportunity to explore and train in a variety of Western dance forms as well. I studied ballet at the Princeton Ballet School and the Martin Center for Dance, and I’ve trained in jazz, contemporary, and street styles through college programs and various intensives.
By the time I reached college, I realized that my passion for the arts went beyond just learning and performing, but also creating and choreographing. I started meshing my foundations of ballet and Bharatanatyam. I started posting my Bharatantyam choregraphies to Western music and explored movement and culture through my platforms on TikTok and Instagram. Within 3 months, my community grew on both platforms to over 300k followers. I started working with brands and artists to form campaigns on my pages and have been mentioned in various news outlets such as BBC, NBC News, Business Insider, and Homegrown for my creativity.
After graduating from Columbia University, I decided to take a year to pursue dance and have performed in stage shows, films, national tours, and theme park residencies. I am continuing to create content and dance professionally, and aim to take my passion in the arts further.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I first started creating, I found that I was free to post my unique choregraphies and experiment while staying true to all dance forms I was incorporating in my work. However, I faced some negativity in regards to my exploration, especially as I started using classical foundations in songs and dances that are not traditionally associated with the particular style. This led me to overthink my own work and believe that I shouldn’t expand the boundaries of dance, and for a while I felt that my ideas were “unethical”. As a result, I posted much less and let the negativity affect my productivity and motivation. During this period, I stopped focusing on my choreography, yet felt a heavy weight on my shoulders that I needed to address. I knew that my videos have positively impacted so many dancers and non-dancers, inspiring them to start experimenting with their own movement and continue training in a dance style that may have ostracized them in the past for one limitation or another. Other views find that my videos allow them to see what movement means beyond the stereotypical sense. I know that my solid base in the forms I use in my choregraphies stay true when I explore, and knowing this and my impact on my followers, I started posting again, with integrity and creativity.
Another struggle in my journey was the need to balance my passions and responsibilities. As a full time student at Columbia University, I needed to keep up my performance in my internships, academic work, and extracurricular club leadership roles all while continuing to post content that required physical and mental energy. Overtime, I started to experience burnout, as I felt I was not meeting the expectations I had set for myself, and I lost motivation to continue any projects. I was feeling very confused, wondering whether dance was “worth” all my time and effort, yet I had an itch to continue, despite the negative thoughts my mind would conjure. This is when I realized I wouldn’t be satisfied until I moved my work in dance from online to the real world. I began auditioning for different projects and building my network in dance. I then started booking projects and meeting other dancers who shared my love for the art form. This huge step that required courage allowed me to go beyond my own online space and give purpose to my journey while continuing to work and study successfully.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a performer trained in dance, vocal music, and drama. Specifically within my expertise in dance, I have trained in Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, ballet, hip hop, jazz, Bollywood, and contemporary. As an Indian dancer based in the United States, I rarely find other dancers with the same background as me, and I often see that non-western styles are less valued or forgotten in professional spaces. My choreography expands beyond just one style, and I incorporate elements of my training as I see fit. I am able to capture movement and beats that are unique and not often explored by many choreographers. In my videos, I also add a unique aspect of cinematography or storytelling to add to the overall presentation of choreography I create. I am most proud of my work in being able to seamlessly intertwine cultures while keeping integrity to the foundations they came from. I have created choreography to the “Avatar” animated show theme song, using different dance styles to represent the elements. I have recreated ballet variations in the form of Bharatnatyam to understand the similarities and differences in the styles. I have also combined ballet and semi-classical Bharatanatyam to a Bollywood song, expanding how to create movement for non-traditional music. I am a strong dancer with multiple backgrounds, and I am able to combine my foundations to create beyond the boundaries of styles.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Throughout my journey, I learned that I need to trust myself and always be prepared for my next opportunity. I used to brush off training or creating in times when I have faced a rut, thinking that I shouldn’t put energy in areas where I wouldn’t succeed. I found that learning new styles would be difficult, since I had so much to learn at times. I have also underplayed my success in fear that I would be judged. These actions came from a place of self-doubt. As I realized that many of my successes were well earned, I realized that I would have been able to act upon my passion much more if I had just trusted myself and allowed myself to make mistakes and grow. Hand in hand with trust, I knew that I needed to be focused if I wanted to continue growing. I was told by a teacher to always be prepared for a future opportunity, as many are lost due to a lack of awareness and preparation. I learned to trust myself, but also keep the intention to never take my time and energy practicing, working, or choreographing for granted, even if I find myself in a rut. Through this mindset, I was able to perform in opportunities that I would have never thought I would be prepared for if I hadn’t been keeping myself sharp in between periods of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://naominambo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomi.nambo?igsh=eGJwaXZ5enltbmZ3&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-n-8687b71ab/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@naominambo?si=k39-G9HNH9MV3JvU
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@naomi.nambo?
Image Credits
Cosima Liang, José A. Giralt
