Sohan Kailey (Director of Aashiyana Arts) is a Performing Artist, Dancer, Professional Entertainer, Actor and Children’s Entertainer, Streat Theatre Artist and Puppeter. Sohan has been involved in the performing arts for many years and has worked with various organisations to engage audiences in dance and performance. Sohan is always looking at creative ways of delivering his workshops and activities in an entertaining way. As a young boy he grew up watching Indian Film Cinema (Bollywood) and Broadway musicals.

“One of my earliest memories was watching the musical ‘West Side Story’, I was enthralled by the dancing and musical score.”

From his love of dance, music, theatre and cinema he decided to merge these exciting industry’s together.

He has trained in Bhangra, Bollywood, Flamenco (Don Law), Contemporary (Dennie Wilson), Salsa, Ballroom & Rumba (Jamie Cutler), Jazz at the Midlands Arts Centre and DanceXchange Birmingham. He studied at Dudley College of Performing Arts and provided Indian dance workshops in schools for Dudley Performing Arts. He has worked with Sampad South Asian Arts, Birmingham.

Being passionate about dance, this Wolverhampton born artist wants to share his Indian cultural roots and promote diverse dance and performing arts to the wider community.

His musical influences range from Indian cinema, Latin Jazz to the Big Band sounds of New York City.
He has recieved acting and drama skills training from Bollywood star Maneet Nagpal of Mumbai, India.

Sohan regularly provides workshops and entertainment for The Library of Birmingham. He has performed and facilitated workshops at numerous world music festivals as well as working with corporate clients. His current work includes a Health & Wellbeing project with the Speight of the Art (Mark Speight) Foundation, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital NHS and The Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Some of his performance events include:

• London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics, Cultural Olympiad, World of Dance programme, England
• New York Festival, Meadowlands Arena, New Jersey, USA
• Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Commomwealth Games, City of Manchester Stadium, England
  
• Jaguar Landrover Discovery, England
• The Young Readers Book Bash, Birmingham, England
  
• The Summer Reading Challenge
• Vienna and Linz, Austria (Science of Spirituality)
• Wychwood Music Festival, Cheltenham Racecourse, England
• Cornbury Music Festival, England
• Bullring Shopping Centre, Birmingham, England
• The Rep Theatre, Birmingham, England
• Rolls Royce Dinner & Dance

He has made numerous TV and Radio appearances including BBC TV and BBC Radio, Sky TV, Star Plus, Carlton (ITV), Channel 5, New York TV and Radio

Sohan has worked closely with the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) and Wizcraft International Event Management.

Aruna Kailey has been dancing from a very young age and did her first stage performance at the age of 5!

Throughout her life she has been fully integrated into the Indian culture.

She started her dance training in the Classical Indian Dance style of Kathak and was taught for a number of years by the accalimed
Sonia Sabri.

Following this, she explored other dance styles and took classes in Club jazz, Flamenco, Salsa and Street Dance. Then, in 2006 she started to attend Egyptian Belly Dance classes with Rita Barker and absolutely fell in love with Egyptian music and dance! For the next few years she continued to develop her belly dance technique and became a part of Ashara Dance Company. Aruna has attended many Bellydance workshops with acclaimed artists such as world renowned Bellydance Superstars and Elise Pinheiro.

Presently Aruna has joined the Drumzy School of Music and Dance with the world renowned Hossam Ramzy and Serena Ramzy. Through this course she is gaining a strong foundation in understanding Egyptian dance and music.

Other dance companies/organisations that Aruna has previously performed with,  include  Sampad, Akar, Lehar and Aashiyana Dance Company. Venues she has previously performed at, include Birmingham ICC, Birmingham NEC, Birmingham NIA, Midlands Arts Centre, Ikon Gallery, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Wales, National Theatre London Southbank and Virgin Atlantic London Heathrow for Sir Richard Branson. She has also participated in performances at a number of theatres and festivals.

In 2014 Aruna has recently started to work with her partner Sohan and is a dance artist for Aashiyana Arts. She is having great fun providing lively dance entertainment for celebrations and events! Earliet this year Aruna and Sohan took lessons in Ballroom, Rumba and Salsa by the very accomplished dance artist Jamie Cutler.

Aruna is continuing to follow her personal interests in Kathak and Egyptian Belly Dance and is working on pieces that combine the two dance styles together with her own unique interpretation.

Aruna hopes to continue to dance her way through life!!