There is much to dance that often does not come to the fore. Passion, practice, rehearsals, dedication, discipline and an urge to express all converge to bring a performance that takes everyone by storm to the stage. With International Dance Day right around the corner (April 29) Indulge chooses to celebrate the art form of dance and unearth a beautiful origin story from namma uru.
The Vixens Crew, Bengaluru’s all-girls dance crew, who’ve been making waves across the field of dance and content creation for a while now, have joined us in celebrating this occasion with an exciting two-look photoshoot! With each look highlighting the confidence and charisma of GenNext, The Vixen’s Crew hit it out of the park with their vibrant synergy and ecstatic sense of fashion!
Just like their hundreds and thousands of followers online, we cannot stop scrolling through their Instagram page as we remain in awe of their enthralling contemporary performances and collaborations with other popular dancers and media personalities like Ruhee Dosani, Rida Tharana; film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Gulshan Devaiah, Nani; cricketer KL Rahul and others.
They are show-stoppers on stage and they’re scroll-stoppers online. With their beginnings in the biggest inter-collegiate stages of the city, Medha Naidu, Renee Ripal Kadakia, Bhavana V, Megha J, Vibha Vinod Shekar, Anushka Anand and Ketaki Vaze are now the faces of our International Dance Day special cover!
Our photoshoot was a vibrant reflection of the various personalities that the members of the group can easily slip into! First, the girls rocked a trendy denim-on-denim look against a fun arcade backdrop, effortlessly embodying cool. Then, they turned up the glamour in elegant cocktail dresses, their charisma amplified by stunning accessories by C Krishniah Chetty & Sons. With their undeniable chemistry, The Vixens Crew have represented the best in Bengaluru’s contemporary dance culture, with each member bringing their experiences to the table from different backgrounds in various dance forms.
From having performed in popular platforms like YouTube Fan Fest 2024, where they were the only creators from South India; to representing the country at the much-acclaimed RedBull Dance Your Style 2024 — these girls have come very far since their younger days in college, where they first met. After the engaging and fun shoot at Moxy Bengaluru Airport Prestige Tech Cloud, Bengaluru, we rope in the group to have a chat about their beginnings, the secret to their amazing chemistry, their styles and processes of choreographing different dance styles, what they feel thankful for as they reflect on their journey and lots more!
The Vixens Crew are as diverse and multi-cultural as their dance routines. The members are from different parts of the country but recognise Bengaluru as home. Having gone to the iconic Mount Carmel College here in Bengaluru, the girls were initially a part of the college’s long-established and popular dance crew called Onslaught. They have credited their time performing together in this group as vital to the formation and success of their current identity. Giving us further insights about how they came to become the popular group we know today, Medha highlights, “I don’t think it was a very hard decision to come together as a group after college, to be honest. After we graduated, a few of us, it felt incomplete that we wouldn’t meet daily and practise and just chill with each other. We’d be together from eight in the morning to six in the evening. We’d always be together. So, it just became a habit, a ritual, a routine for us — being around each other. When we got out of college, we still wanted to dance, so we just decided to come together. Vixens Cew just happened.”
The city itself became a neutral ground for the group to ease into the process of becoming the popular name they are today. “Bengaluru is home for all of us,” Medha enthuses. Building their world felt like a very natural and comfortable journey. “It doesn’t feel foreign. Just feels like we’re at home, we’re doing our thing at our home, at our pace, at our time,” Medha adds. Much of this comfort also highlights the rich cultural landscape of the city. With opportunities and platforms providing stages for many, the city also helped the members hone their respective styles further. “I think, our biggest advantage was that we trained together back in college. We have all been trained in afro. That was our base. So, as we learnt, that’s when we figured out our styles as well. That’s what made us dynamic,” Bhavana reminisces. While each of them has their own style, the group does admit to having a collective preference for ‘street’ as their shared fashion aesthetic.
What further reflects their strong bond as a team is their ability to be open-minded and learn from each other. This is much reflected in what Medha adds to the discussion, “Each of us has our style. So, for example, if Bhavna is doing a routine like vogue, she teaches us the same and therefore, we learn a new style because of her. Everybody has their unique style, which just contributes a lot to the group. We’re learning from each other on an everyday basis. I think that’s something very special.” The same reflects on their performances uploaded online as well, where each member gets their moment to shine as the respective member gets credited for the choreography they did for a particular routine. But it’s not just their ability to learn from each other that demands the attention of the viewer. It is also their spot-on synchronisation that goes into the choreography that truly highlights their chemistry. Much like their dance routines, it is no surprise that the girls can also sync on their fashion sense. The source for said synchronisation is not magical. It all comes from a conscious effort to be truly creative. And how do they ensure a harmonious partnership and a healthy flow of creative ideas? Open communication. Bhavana echoes this notion, “I think because of us spending a lot of time together, we all are on the same brain wavelength at this point. As a result, we sit together now and we brainstorm by discussing and asking questions like: okay, what would look good together as a whole?”
It is no surprise that the group has garnered much attention and prominence within a few years of being established as full-time dance content creators. With their chemistry being an aspect behind the rise of their success, practice and concentration in their rehearsals have also been key factors behind their rise. With strict rehearsal sessions, the group has followed a disciplined approach towards honing their art form. Much of it also has to do with their passion for the same. As Bhavana emphasises, “We all love what we do. That’s what makes it easy.” The team’s functioning remains fluid, even more so because of a basic understanding and an accommodating nature as a group. “There are times when one of us might be busy or another cannot show up for an event. But that’s the whole point of it. We have an understanding amongst each other where we are like: okay, fine. If this can’t be done, something else can be figured out,” Bhavana further adds.
While such artistes’ successes can be reflected via numbers and engagement insights on their channels, what can often be overlooked is what effect they truly have on their audiences. Medha shares that upon visiting their college after a few years of establishing themselves as The Vixens Crew — students and even their teachers recognised the group and shared their appreciation for their work, strengthening their belief in the impact they’re having on the city’s youth. She also highlights that when younger girls and older women or mothers have expressed their aspirations for their daughters to be like them, they all feel very moved by the kind words and gestures. “When young girls come up to us and they say, ‘I could never dance’ and when older women come up to us and say, ‘we could never do that,’ that inspires us,” Bhavana highlights. Medha adds, “My family is just so proud. They always highlight how I am doing something so out-of-the-box. They’ve been very supportive.”
Considering their journey as a group, from their early days to their current performances, what is more profound is the sense of gratitude they experience when they’re about to step on stage or begin a recording. The sisterhood among them is yet again reflected in Anushka's simple yet emphatic response on behalf of the group, accompanied by scattered nods and words of approval, “I feel like we feel thankful for the opportunity itself. For the fact that we are all doing it together. We are so grateful to be performing together on every stage and time.”
Photographer: Nithish Ayyod
Assistants: Kirthiraj V & Dhanush M
Hair & makeup: Swaathi Bharani Dharan
Assistants: Alovi Rochilimi & Chxnmi Mimi
Jewellery: C Krishniah Chetty & Sons
Location: Moxy Bengaluru Airport Prestige Tech Cloud
Tune into the full interview on the Indulge Podcast, releasing today!
Mail id: pranav.shriram@newindianexpress.com
X: pranav_shriram