Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Krystal Madan has been living her dream since she opened up her dance studio almost five months ago—and she encourages that you can do the same.
KAM Dance Academy illuminates Kearny Avenue in Kearny with its wide windows, open floor and vast display of mirrors, which holds symbolism Madan later explained, but her dream goes beyond running her own dance studio. She told Slice of Culture that dance gave her the freedom to fully express who she is and now she’s created a space : “where every beat welcomes everybody.”
“Opening up a studio meant a lot just because of my background. I’m Latina and, for me, bringing arts to different communities is really important,” Madan said.
“[Arts] was really what salvaged me growing up and having a space to feel free and to feel vibrant and to have a space where students can come and be themselves and purely themselves. I call this space my safe space. This is where I could be angry, sad, motivated, passionate and that’s really one of the reasons why I opened KAM.”
A Safe Space
Madan spent 15 years at Yolanda’s Academy of Music and Dance, located in West New York. She graduated from the 62nd Street studio when she was 18 years old, which she described as a “huge” accomplishment because of the knowledge the place gave her.
The Hudson County native, who’s originally from Secaucus, went on to Montclair University where she minored in dance. During this time, she choreographed a number of shows like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Wedding Singer and RENT, to name a few, and even choreographed for community theatres and non-profit organizations. But Madan didn’t pursue her passion professionally at first; after working in the media industry for a bit she switched over to higher education.
But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and so did a revelation for Madan. She wasn’t doing what she loved anymore.
So, post-COVID, Madan returned to her first love: dancing.
“I started teaching at different dance studios in the area and then I was like, ‘Wait a second. I could do this.’ This is something that I really want to do and show my students that no matter what degree, no matter what you pursue, so long as you love what you do and you learn what you do both professionally and personally, then you can make it happen,” she added.
“So this was a dream, a long time awakened. I’m very, very happy and very blessed to be in the situation that I am.”
Coming across her now-location at 496-498 Kearny Avenue was a “hidden gem,” Madan described. At first she looked for a space in Secaucus, West New York and Union City, but she didn’t want to touch those territories because she wanted to respect her alma mater, Yolanda’s.
So she continued her search over the bridge and found her way to Kearny. The space, which used to be a farmer’s market, was already empty; Madan just added paint, mirrors and fixed the floor, and she had the space she’d envisioned.
In August, Madan unveiled the new studio, which bore a mix of her initials and her grandmother’s.
Learning To Love Yourself And Pursue Your Passion
Since their opening in August, KAM Dance Academy has brought on 50 students.
The studio offers a variety of ranges and genres for different age groups from three years old to adults. Students can learn styles like ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, flamenco, contemporary and acrobatics.
“No matter the age or your size or whatever the case may be, you’re welcomed here no matter what,” Madan added.
On a Monday night, as KAM’s bright white lights and open floor lit up Kearny’s main street, Madan’s younger ballet students came in one by one. Most giggled as they entered and others walked in with a shy smile, but they all knew their places as soon as Mrs. Krystal said class was starting.
Madan was gentle, yet firm in her instructions and often gave words of encouragement, especially after a successful plié or chassé. The students’ reflections bounced off the mirrors as they worked on perfecting their posture.
“Mirrors are so important in dance [be]cause you are looking at yourself all the time. But I always tell them, that person in the mirror is the person that’s striving for you to be the best that you can be. And if you don’t love yourself, how are you gonna love anybody else? And I always quote that from RuPaul ’cause it’s so true,” she laughed.
“… If you can’t look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with that person, then how can you go out in the real world and be able to pursue a career, whether it is in dance or teaching, whatever the career may be… I have to be happy with the person that’s looking back at me.”
And Madan emphasized how “welcoming” the dance community in Hudson County and New Jersey has been. She’s also been able to expand her world as a competition judge, which has allowed her to meet different types of people from different places, noting that she has friends on Broadway in New York and other national tours.
It reminded her that everyone is striving for their own dreams, but it takes a village to make it happen, she said. She thanked her husband, family and assistant, Sarah, for being part of her efforts.
You can find Kam Dance Academy online at @kamdanceacademy on Instagram and facebook.com/kamdanceacademynj/. You can also visit their website kamdanceacademy.com to register or for more information.
“The biggest thing for me is creating a safe space where people know [that] Mrs. Krystal’s always gonna be there for me no matter what…,” Madan told Slice of Culture.
“The biggest thing is creating a space where they know that it’s not just always about dance, it’s about being the best human you can be. Especially in this day and age, just creating good people is hard to come by. So helping influence those people and these future kids to be the best version of themselves that they can be is the biggest thing that I want from them.”
