The bold clothing and energetic dance moves attract thousands of followers to watch sophomore Saakhi Kaur’s online dancing videos.

Kaur’s dancing started transitioning from a hobby to an enterprise after she started posting videos on the internet when she was 13 years old. 

“I started making these videos right after we returned from quarantine when I was getting positive feedback on my dancing,” Kaur said. “I started making these videos to pass the time, but it slowly became something successful. New dances always motivate me because I want to learn them.”

Kaur has been a serious performer since she was 4 years old, and has been encouraged to keep improving because of the competitive environment she has worked to be in.

“I think I realized I had a talent in dancing when I participated in competitions with people who were way older than me, and they would always tell me that I was good,” Kaur said. 

Navneet Kaur, Kaur’s mother, encouraged  Kaur to take on an Atlanta-based dance competition, in which she was nicknamed, “Pocket Dynamite,” by Saroj Khan, a well-known Bollywood choreographer. 

“Saakhi came second in a Bollywood dance competition that was judged by Saroj Khan,” Navneet Kaur said. “I must point out that there was no age restriction, and Saakhi competed against 25 year old professional dancers in this competition as an elementary school student.”

Sophomore Lana Turner has been one of Kaur’s closest friends since the second grade. She plays a large role in supporting Kaur and her passion for dance. She occasionally accompanies Kaur in her videos and dances alongside her. 

“I’m always in her corner and am continuously proud of her,” Turner said. “She remains one of my closest friends, and I can’t help but let her know how proud I am that she’s using this talent of hers to build this platform for herself.”  

One thing that is important to Kaur is having role models and people that encourage her. Most of her inspiration comes from dancers with similar styles as her, like hip-hop artists. 

 “I really enjoy Jhope from BTS’s style in dance, same with Bollywood dancer Prabhu Deva,” Kaur said.

Not only does Kaur look up to celebrities and famous online stars, but her mom is one of her biggest role models. 

“My mom has the biggest influence on me since she was a dancer when she was younger and was the one who got me into dance, as well,” Kaur said.

Kaur’s mother used to dance with her daughter to encourage the passion and to help her gain confidence to dance on her own.

“I think Saakhi has inherited the dancing gene from me,” Kaur’s mother said. “Being a dancer myself, I was very excited to see Saakhi enjoy and move with the music ever since she was little.”

Most of Kaur’s content is on social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. Having over 32,000 followers, she inevitably receives a handful of ill-mannered and impolite commentary toward her dancing and her videos.

“I get mostly positive feedback from people,” Kaur said. “But there are always those few people who just can’t help it and say something rude, but I brush it off.”

Kaur uses strategic techniques, such as including hashtags in her video captions and posting to trending songs so that she can reach the “For You” section of Instagram.

“I’ll listen to Kaur explain to me certain things about how she posts to get more reach, like the time of day and how long of a video it is, and it blows my mind,” Turner said. “It really is a science.”

Most importantly, however, is the gratification and contentment Kaur gains.

“If I am putting effort into how I present myself and being happy instead of focusing on the number of likes, then that tends to reach the most people and gives me the most satisfaction,” Kaur said.