Duniya Dance and Drum Company

Awesome class! I planned a group gathering to their Sunday West African drumming class that is from 11:30 — 1:30. It’s located in Noe Valley in the instructor’s personal music studio.
Bongo the instructor was very accommodating to our group. I called in advance to make sure he had enough drums (djembe) to borrow and he was open to having us bring food and drinks for the class since it was in the middle of the afternoon.
The space was great and he taught us rhythms as well as a song to sing along with while drumming.

These guys are the real deal. The sheer amount of talent represented here is really unparalleled. Especially Bongo Sidebe, he is a first rate djembe player from Guinea West Africa and a protégé of the Grand Master himself, Mamady Keita. These people take their work very seriously, it is their main passion in life and it shows. I highly recommend that you experience this dynamic show.

Joti taught me, my sister, and about 13 other girls a Bollywood dance for my sister’s bachelorette party. Joti was great — patient, sweet, and responsive to my multiple planning emails! She asked if we had a specific song request, but when we didn’t, she picked a great, recent song. We had a blast learning it — her great attitude during the class contributed to this a great deal! We had students of all levels (a couple who had seen hindi movies, or had learned bharatanatyam dance years ago, but MOST had little/​no experience dancing). During the 1-​hour class, she went at a pace that included a lot of repetition so we could memorize the moves, but fast enough that we could learn at least a couple minutes of the dance really well and stop at a good stopping point.
We performed the dance at my sister’s wedding this weekend to kick off the dancing, and it was a HUGE hit! Both fun and funny for the ‘performers’, yet the routine looked really great and guests raved about it.
If I lived in the city I would definitely take her classes. I have some dance experience, and learning good technique is important. Even though this was a short, informal class, it was easy to see what a talented, skilled dancer Joti is, with wonderful energy and expression when she dances. I would highly recommend her either for a class like this, or for her regular classes! Thanks, Joti!

Dropped in on Joti’s class at Mission Dance several months ago and loved the energy. I’m now part of Duniya, so needless to say, I love them :).
Dance styles are woven together with reverence to their origins to create emotionally uplifting pieces that are sure to delight! Styles include Bhangra, West African Drum and Dance, House/​Hip-​hop, and more.

Joti is awesome! We took private lessons from Joti for our wedding and she taught us 3 Bollywood dances in less than a week! And we weren’t very good at all to begin with.
Joti was also very flexible with her schedule and even stayed with us as late as 10:30pm on some days. All in all she knows her dancing and is a very patient teacher. Her energy is infectious and made us look forward to each class. To bad they went by so quickly.
Highly recommended!

Bhangra — even the sound of it is explosive. Bhangra is very infectious music. It reaches into your body and pulls you to move your feet, your arms, your head. With so many fun sounds from all those fun instruments (even the names, dholki, chimta, toombi, are musical), arms, feet, head are barely enough. If you can get to a Bhangra class, don’t miss it!
Joti first performed for us in a classroom at a teacher’s retirement party. She electrified the room with enough energy to power the building for weeks. Her dancing is very graceful, playful, and above all energetic. She wore a traditional shalwar kameez in bright pink with little mirrors.
Later we attended a performance she did with her dance troupe and this is when we got hooked. The performance, with shades of Bhangra, hip-​hop, West-​African and Bollywood, wowed the crowd. The dancers wore lime green tutus and workout tops. It was HOT. I linked into her networking and find that she’s a one-​stop entertainment source for all sorts of cool dance lessons, dance performances, music, theater, you name it, events. Over a past weekend, she acted and danced in a charming play about a French immigrant called «Hee Mariamou.» She performs at weddings, retirements, cleansings, etc.
I started taking her class. Bhangra music is really fun, did I mention that? The class includes a solid set of valuable stretches and a real aerobic workout. The moves are pretty, teasing, and energetic (did I mention energetic?). Joti teaches a series of moves, step by step. We string them together and then break them back down in creative ways. Above all it’s a happy, spirited, well spent time. See ya there.

I’ve seen Duniya perform several times now, and each time I do I am absolutely amazed. I myself am a bumbling klutz, so to see these Bhangra dancers twirling, jumping and swirling without falling all over themselves is more impressive than I can possibly express here. Their energy levels are more intense and upbeat than any dance I’ve ever seen. I would definitely recommend catching one of their performances if you get the chance. They are simply mind-​blowing!

We Hired Joti from this dance troop to perform at our gay wedding reception in Novato for 70 people which is tough considering your space. It was a total success. She was great, costume was wonderful and the music she selected perfect for the event. Everyone was so excited to see a «surprise performer» appear from the bedroom and start into the bollywood high energy act. I only wish I had two performers instead of one. I would highly recommend this group for a private event.

Like Irene, I was tired of the same-​o workout routine. Not to mention that I recently fell in love with Bollywood movies, and the dancing of course. I found Joti online last year, and have been taking her classes since in Berkeley. Not only does she choreograph routines, she also breaks down famous dance routines by request.
The bottom line is, if you want a fun filled workout, Joti will make that happen. You will never go back to your old work out routine again.

ok, this is probably TMI, but I was tired of running for fitness (winter = wet runs = cranky me), and so even though I’m broke as heck lately, I decided getting back to dance classes was the way to go.
I wanted to take bhangra and/​or «Bollywood» dancing, and since I knew they’re taught a lot in the tri-​cities area, I was hoping to also find some near me here in Oakland.
Cut to a week later, sore fingers and a hunchback from so many internet searches, and I had found bumpkis in this area. WTF! Then by luck I found out about Duniya’s dance classes at the Berkeley YW.
Joti teaches dance in Berkeley & SF (as of ⁴⁄₀₈), including «Bollywood» (why I’m not a big fan of the term is a topic for another place), bhangra, and West African dance.
The classes are very friendly and fun, and I credit Joti for doing a lot to set the casual tone. No sweat if you’re new and a bit fumbly, and no one’s looking down their noses at you– it feels like a nice community. Joti mixes classes up between doing one step across the floor in lines, working on a combination across weeks, and working on stuff in a circle where you do pair steps.
Classes are drop-​in, and I think she does a good job of balancing steps between easier and more difficult so most people will get some steps and also have some level of challenges. The combinations and steps are taught across weeks, so if you didn’t get it first time or practice at home (who me?), you’ll get the chance to try again.
And Joti cares about technique, so she gives tips and comments on some of the wrist flourishes, where exactly your feet go, how to smooth the transition, etc. If you don’t care, you don’t have to add them in. I prefer to hear about this stuff — I want to learn it as layered as I can! Otherwise I’d just be doing dance party in my living room. (Uh, instead of dance party and classes like I do now).
I think she breaks down and models the steps well, and will come by and demonstrate near you if you’re struggling. Class is a good workout– bring something to sweat in!
My one beef is that she rarely gives individual feedback, which I like occasionally to help me polish up what I’m working on. But I’ve just about never found a teacher who does that in adult dance classes, so it’s not really a comment on her to mention it. As a kid I used to be in like professional prep dance classes before I decided I was too short for a career and stopped dancing for a bit, & I got a lot out of individual comments, and hearing the comments other students got. Maybe teachers in these adult classes shy away from singling people out, and I think in the right class environment feedback can be a good thing.
Her website has updated class info, and you can also email questions if you have any. Joti’s dance company performs in the area pretty regularly, and those dates are up there too.
But why only watch when you can also do? Chak de!