Name: Usha Jey
Age: 29
Profession: Dancer, choreographer, and movement director
Current location: Paris
Why you should know her: Decked in a vibrant georgette sari, Usha Jey bounces to French rap, but her hand elegantly communicates in mudras, and the unexpected harmony between Bharatnatyam and hip-hop jolts your brain into acknowledging that you’re no longer in brain rot scrolling territory anymore. This is art, one that the first-generation French-Tamil dancer tags as #HybridBharatham. Calling the series a viral phenomenon that has amassed millions of views online would merely scratch the surface; Jey is bringing fresh energy to two well-established dance forms where much has been said and done.
It’s why she can switch from a moonwalk to a mandi adavu with such ease that you’d forget these steps have contrasting origins. Her expressions shapeshift too, going from stank face to an intense gaze—pertinent to Bharatnatyam—full of love and devotion. She’s brought her signature fusion moves to designer Rahul Mishra’s fashion show, the Commonwealth Games, and London’s V&A Museum.
“My work as a choreographer and movement director is ultimately a reflection of finding ways for different parts of my identity to coexist. I never wanted to choose one over the other, and my creative process reflects that,” she says. Less than three weeks ago, Jey dropped the ninth episode in the ‘Hybrid Bharatham’ series, starring Never Have I Ever actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and the resulting visual is a feast for the eyes. At least 8.9 million eyeballs think so too.
On bringing ‘Hybrid Bharatham’ to life: “I first got the idea in 2019. At that time, I was training in hip-hop and Bharatnatyam separately and had a small but supportive community on Instagram. People kept asking: ‘What if you fuse the two dance styles?’ The fusion styles that I saw back then didn’t resonate with me. One night, I decided to experiment and come up with my own way of doing it. Instead of transforming Bharatnatyam into hip-hop or vice-versa, I approach the process as a dialogue between the two. My choreography is built around switching between the styles while aiming to preserve the identity of each one. Finding that balance has become the most exciting part of this creative journey and that’s how the series ‘Hybrid Bharatham’ was born. What’s fascinating to me is that over time this series evolved into something much bigger and became a movement of its own.”
How the collab with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan came to be: “Even before creating the choreography for 'Hide And Seek' [the dance film], I had Maitreyi in mind for it. I knew I wanted someone from the south Asian community who has always shown genuine love and pride for our culture. We were already following each other on social media, so I sent her a message explaining the idea, and before I could even get into detail, she said yes. This experience reminded me of something I’ve heard: the only reason we miss an opportunity is because we never ask.”
A core memory: “Episode five of the ‘Hybrid Bharatham’ series—‘Uproar’—brought me a lot of great opportunities, one of them being the chance to choreograph and perform during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. I showcased a ‘Hybrid Bharatham’ piece and Kuthu, a Tamil folk dance. The arena was full of people, but my dancers, Mithuja and Janusha, and I weren’t stressed. We were just happy to be there and joking around before going on. I’ve performed in places that I never thought possible, this being one of them, and that’s really special.”
On co-directing with her partner Gavin Emishka: “Gavin and I have known each other as friends for over 10 years; there’s a lot of trust between us. We already have a strong understanding of what the other is trying to achieve. We share a complementary perspective, but we also like to challenge and inspire each other creatively. He’s the first person I show any new choreography to. When shooting these dance films, he brings the cinematic vision, while I help with the artistic direction. He also is a hip-hop dancer who grew up with the same influences as I, so we get each other’s references. Dance is a language by itself, so when capturing it, it helps to have someone who understands it.”
Where inspiration strikes: “I love watching freestyle dancers, because you can’t replicate the way they dance. When a freestyler choreographs something, it’s more personal than just steps put together. It’s their personality in a choreography, because those movements represent them the best. One of the names I look up to is Shay Latukolan. In India, Rukmini Vijayakumar is a huge inspiration because of the way she understands the body. She integrates mobility work, yoga, and strength training into her practice, which I think every classical dancer can learn from. Her approach shows that caring for your body is just as important as mastering the technique.”
A pre-performance ritual: “One thing I always do before getting on stage is to talk to myself to be in the present and put on music that is not related to my performance.”
On finding common ground between hip-hop and Bharatnatyam: “I think the main similarity is that both these forms of dance are grounded and the energy comes from the floor. Whether it’s the grounded footwork in Bharatnatyam or the bounce in hip-hop, you’re constantly pushing into the floor to create power, flow, and intention in your movement. That connection to the ground is what makes both forms feel so strong and alive.”
On nurturing her craft but being open to feedback: “The person that taught me hip-hop once said to me: ‘Never fall in love with your choreography.’ It meant you should be open to changing it. You can’t be like, ‘Oh my God, I love this step, I don’t want to tweak it.’ I also love to show a finished piece to my non-dancer childhood friends, because they see dance differently. I know if they like the steps the choreography will speak to more people rather than just professional dancers.”
She’s a side-quest queen: “Whenever I get interested in something, I tend to go all in. Curiosity naturally feeds my creativity as an artist. Lately it’s been badminton; I organise the ‘Shaliniz Cup’, a badminton tournament with 20 friends, as a yearly tradition. I’ve always wanted to get into a combat sport and right now I’m training in muay Thai.”
