Nakul Dev Mahajan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nakul Dev Mahajan (born 15 September 1975) is an Indian-American
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
and
choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...
best known for his choreography on ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
''. He is the
founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...
and
artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...
of ''NDM Bollywood Dance Productions and Studios'', a Bollywood dance company based in
Artesia, California Artesia (Spanish for "artesian aquifer") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. Artesia was incorporated on May 29, 1959, and is one of Los Angeles County's Gateway Cities. The city has a 2010 census population of 16,522. Artesi ...
. Mahajan has served as a
talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...
judge for
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...
productions. His dance choreography is prominent in the
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...
animated series ''
Mira, Royal Detective ''Mira, Royal Detective'' is an American CGI-animated mystery children's television series produced by Wild Canary Animation, which is inspired by Indian culture and customs. The show's protagonist, Mira, is the first South Asian protagonist in a ...
''.


Early life and background

Born in
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
, India, in a
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
family, Mahajan and his family immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. Mahajan began formal dance training at age 17, and graduated from the
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...
with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in Sociology and Dance in 2002.


Career

The work of Nakul Dev Mahajan has been influenced by classical indian dances and Western dance styles ( hip-hop,
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
). As a result of his efforts to teach and promote the Bollywood dance style, Mahajan has been called '' Hollywood’s Favorite Bollywood Choreographer'' and an ''Ambassador of Bollywood Dance''. Mahajan appeared as a guest star (dancer) in season 3, episode 6 (''Diwali'') of ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...
'' (TV
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
), led a Bollywood Dance instructional session prior to the
81st Academy Awards The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30  ...
(2009), and choreographed a flash mob style Bollywood scene for an episode of
Fuller House (TV series) ''Fuller House'' is an American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin and produced by Warner Bros. Television Group that airs as a Netflix original series and is the sequel to the 1987–1995 television series ''Full House''. It centers around D.J. ...
(2016). Sonia Singh and Mahajan co-authored the script for ''One Man Bollywood Show'', a 2009 stage production performed by Mahajan. In 2011, Mahajan was the recipient of the
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...
''Outstanding Young Alumnus Award''. Mahajan was selected to the "Wall of the World" panel of judges for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
'
The World's Best ''The World's Best'' is an American reality talent competition television series. Produced by Mark Burnett and Mike Darnell, it features international performers being evaluated by three judges—Drew Barrymore, RuPaul and Faith Hill, and a pane ...
(
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, re ...
talent competition). In 2015, the ''World Choreography Award (Digital Media Format)'' was awarded for ''Check Yourself'', a collaboration between Mahajan, Chucky Klapow,
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...
, and Renee Ritchie.


Dance Studios

In 2003, Mahajan founded ''NDM Bollywood Dance Productions and Studios'', the first Bollywood dance school in the U.S.; the school has since served over 3000 students. In 2015, 430 students and 20 members of the school's dance troupe performed ''Bollywood Travels'' (the annual student recital) for a total of 2700 audience members. Mahajan serves as a guest instructor in the faculty of the Broadway Dance Center.


Television


''So You Think You Can Dance'' (U.S., 2008-2019)

Nakul Dev Mahajan's choreography introduced the Bollywood Dance style to the stage of ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
'' (reality TV show) in Season 4. Katee Shean and
Joshua Allen Joshua Allen (born March 13, 1989) is an American dancer and actor, best known as the winner of the fourth season of '' So You Think You Can Dance''. He had originally auditioned in Dallas, Texas with his friend and fellow contestant, Comfort Fe ...
's performance of Mahajan's routine for
Season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also * ...
was in
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
's "Most Viewed" list for one week, and was included in
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ke ...
's 2014 ''25 Best 'So You Think You Can Dance' Routines of all Time'' listing. In subsequent seasons of the show, Bollywood performances were included regularly (see summary table, below).


Choreography for ''So You Think You Can Dance (U.S.)''


''So You Think You Can Dance'' (Canada, 2008)

Mahajan choreographed the ''group dance'' performance of ''Nagada, Nagada'' from
Jab We Met ''Jab We Met'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Dhilin Mehta under his banner Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. The film stars Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their f ...
in
So You Think You Can Dance Canada (season 1) Season 1 of ''So You Think You Can Dance Canada'' is a dance reality show and competition that airs on CTV. It is hosted by MuchMusic VJ Leah Miller. The series is based on the original American TV series ''So You Think You Can Dance''. Auditio ...
.


''Superstars of Dance''

Mahajan coached team
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
at the
Superstars of Dance ''Superstars of Dance'' was an American reality television show, first broadcast on January 4, 2009, on NBC. The show featured dance routines from eight countries from six continents. It was hosted by Michael Flatley, co-creator of ''Riverdance'' ...
on the NBC Network and choreographed six remaining crews at the 2009 ABDCrews (season 4).


Dance India Dance

Mahajan was selected as a judge for the 2015 edition of
Dance India Dance ''Dance India Dance'' (also called by the acronym ''DID''; tagline: ''Dance Ka Asli ID D.I.D.'') is an Indian Hindi-language dance competition reality television series that airs on Zee TV, created and produced by Essel Vision Productions. It ...
North America (filmed in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
).


''Dance Moms''

For the Season 6, Episode 5 edition of the
reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show
Dance Moms ''Dance Moms'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Lifetime on July 13, 2011. Created by Collins Avenue Productions, the show follows the training and careers of children in dance and show business under the tutelage of Abb ...
, Mahajan coached the Abby Lee Dance Company Team, when
Abby Lee Miller Abigale Lee Miller (born September 21, 1965) is an American television personality who founded the Abby Lee Dance Company, which appeared on the reality television series ''Dance Moms'' for eight seasons. On June 27, 2016, Miller pleaded guilty ...
unexpectedly failed to attend practice sessions and competition.


The World's Best

Selected to the '' Wall of the World'', a panel of global entertainment experts for
The World's Best ''The World's Best'' is an American reality talent competition television series. Produced by Mark Burnett and Mike Darnell, it features international performers being evaluated by three judges—Drew Barrymore, RuPaul and Faith Hill, and a pane ...
, a
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, re ...
talent competition produced by
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, Mahajan served as a judge.


Cancer


Diagnosis

A 2012 diagnosis of Stage 2
testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include a ...
and subsequent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemother ...
treatment interrupted Mahajan's career.


Check Yourself

In 2014, Mahajan choreographed a section of
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...
's performance in ''Check Yourself'', a
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
PSA (
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
) production by
Avon Products Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwide in 20 ...
. Abdul, Mahajan, Chucky Klapow, and Renee Ritchie received a 2015 ''World Choreography Award'' for this work, in the category ''Digital Format''.


White House Diwali Celebration

Following a tradition started by George W. Bush in 2003, an annual
Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...
celebration takes place at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
. For the 2013 edition of the White House Diwali celebration, First Lady
Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
hosted a Bollywood dance workshop instructed and choreographed by Mahajan. A photo of Michelle Obama dancing a Bollywood routine alongside Mahajan was cited as one of the top White House photos of 2013.


Miss America 2014 Pageant

Mahajan choreographed the
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
- Indian classical dance fusion routine performed by
Nina Davuluri Nina Davuluri (born April 20, 1989) is an American public speaker, advocate, and beauty queen who hosts the reality show ''Made in America'' on Zee TV America from Manhattan. As Miss America 2014, she became the first Indian American contestan ...
(2014
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
and the first ''Miss America'' of Indian descent) at the Miss America 2014 Talent competition; the routine was set to the song ''Dhoom Taana'', from the film ''
Om Shanti Om ''Om Shanti Om'' (transl. ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language fantasy romance film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillie ...
''. Davuluri's performance of this routine marked the first time a Bollywood dance routine had been performed on the
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
stage. Mahajan was named to The American Bazaar's ''Top 10 Indian American Entertainers of 2013''.


Film

As associate choreographer, Mahajan choreographed the Bollywood scenes in the 2019 film High Strung Free Dance (a sequel to High Strung).


Animation


Mira, Royal Detective ''Mira, Royal Detective'' is an American CGI-animated mystery children's television series produced by Wild Canary Animation, which is inspired by Indian culture and customs. The show's protagonist, Mira, is the first South Asian protagonist in a ...

In 2019, Mahajan embraced the opportunity to work as the Choreographer and Indian Dance Consultant for the production of
Mira, Royal Detective ''Mira, Royal Detective'' is an American CGI-animated mystery children's television series produced by Wild Canary Animation, which is inspired by Indian culture and customs. The show's protagonist, Mira, is the first South Asian protagonist in a ...
. Described as '' "an animated mystery-adventure series for preschoolers, inspired by the cultures and customs of India" '', the
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...
series features original song and
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
in each episode. Tasked with showcasing the diversity of Indian culture through choreography, Mahajan created original dance sequences for the cast of animated human and animal characters, ensuring representation of northern and southern Indian styles of dance, as well as
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
productions.


Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures ''Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures'' is an American CGI-animated preschool television series that was broadcast on Disney Junior. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series is the successor to ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse''. Originally ...

In two episodes of
Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...
's
computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
-
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...
Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures ''Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures'' is an American CGI-animated preschool television series that was broadcast on Disney Junior. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series is the successor to ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse''. Originally ...
, the characters embark on adventures that showcase Indian culture on a Bollywood film set and a trip to
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...
. The Bollywood and Indian Dance choreography for these episodes was performed by Mahajan.


Awards

* 2011
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban dist ...
''Outstanding Young Alumnus Award'' * 2015 India Empire Awards: ''Excellence in Performing Arts'' * 2015 World Choreography Award ( Digital Format), with
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...
, Chucky Klapow, Renee Ritchie


References


External links


NDM Bollywood Dance Productions and Studios
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dev Mahajan, Nakul Living people 1975 births Indian dance teachers American choreographers So You Think You Can Dance choreographers Participants in American reality television series University of California, Riverside alumni American people of Punjabi descent Indian choreographers People from Agra American male artists of Indian descent American male artists American artists Dancers from Uttar Pradesh