Krystal Kiran

Krystal’s artistic practice began with studying dance at the age of three in rural British Columbia. As a Punjabi child, not having access to South Asian dance classes in her area, she started with ballet, jazz, tap and moved into musical theatre and contemporary dance. On yearly visits to India, she studied Kathak – a form of Indian classical dance. Experiencing a sense of “othering” in both countries, Krystal used dance as a tool to explore both sides of her identity as a Canadian and Indian with the intention to create a sense of reconciliation and “wholeness”. As a childhood (and sometimes present-day) stutterer, voice lessons came at the recommendation of her speech therapist and were introduced into her life as a healing modality. She applied the same approach to her dance studies as a vocalist, studying both Bel Canto technique in Canada and Hindustani Classical voice in India.

With a breadth of experience in the commercial entertainment world including being the youngest South Asian woman to date to perform on Broadway (making her debut at age 19), touring the world with Academy & Grammy Winning composer AR Rahman and being a returning company member to the Shaw Festival amongst many other theatre, film and television credits, Krystal is committed to sharing her journey, knowledge and expertise a dancer, singer, actor and choreographer through her work as an arts educator. Having had a plethora of experiences across many different pockets of the the entertainment and arts industries, she is a living example of what is required to create and cultivate an international career as a multidisciplinary performing artist, and the importance of embracing the unique identity and culture of “3rd Culture Kids” as part of this process. Krystal believes that despite the social inequities BIPOC people face, that with the correct mindset and clarity of our intentions and actions, we have the power and ability to meet and transcend these challenges. Her greatest passions are teaching dance in elementary and high schools, seniors homes, and providing classes to marginalized communities that would normally not have access to dance/arts education.