Jasmine Khan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Meet OUTKASTS, an India-based 7 members girls dance crew; whose becoming one of the emerging K-Talents of India. On 13th may 2018 OUTKASTS posted their first K-Pop India Contest video. And now 4 years later, OUTKASTS is a team with many amazing dancers. KASTS is a term meaning one of a kind and hence OUTKASTS is “out of the world.” Take a look here to know more about OUTKASTS from the members themselves and get to know about their journey here:
Shivi
My parents told me that ever since I was a kid, I’ve been into dancing. I’d hold onto the bed railing even before I could start walking properly and groove around. I got into K-pop late 2014-early 2015 and I fell in love with it. It’s safe to say, K-pop shaped me and influenced me in a huge way and practically saved me. Streaming and binging BTS content is one of my favourite core memories as 13-years-old. BTS made me want to perform. And in 2018, I saw an opportunity to perform at the K-Pop Contest and that’s how OUTKASTS was formed.
I’ve seen OUTKASTS grow as a baby and now 4 years later it’s a second home to me. Despite all of the ups and downs, this team is a family to me. I’m incredibly grateful to have such amazing people to not only dance with, but to talk with, to be crazy with, to cry with, to be happy with and to be ourselves with. We are all different people but even with our differences we come together as one unit. Each and every member in this team is full of kindness, gratitude, understanding and companionship. Can’t wait to make more memories and have fun with our members, and definitely can’t wait to show you all what more we have, because trust me, this team will blow your mind away! ❤
June
A year back, one of the members slid into my DMs and asked me to join the crew. This was followed by a discord meeting where all the members were present and it somehow lasted for 4 hours. The shortest 4 hours really… Everyone was extremely welcoming and sweet, that someone like me, who takes a while to open up, opened up to them so quickly.
Honestly, I wasn’t looking to be a part of a dance crew but somehow my gut feeling just told me to go with the flow and accept the offer, so I joined the crew. After meeting all of them in person, I was so excited to dance with them and so grateful to be a part of OUTKASTS. The extremely chaotic practice sessions, tiring but exciting filming days, the important as well as fun meetings, the best movie nights, casual get-togethers help OUTKASTS in bonding like a family than like a dance crew. To be a part of something bigger than me, excites me to grow more as a human and a dancer.
OUTKASTS is a dance crew of 7 members, but other than us there is our Manager- Varad Saxena and Videographer- Herschelle Lakra who have a big hand in our production. Of course, our journey has had its ups and downs, but we will still continue aiming for the skies. I am extremely grateful to be in this position writing this paragraph talking about my dance crew. Thank you so much everyone for your constant love and support for it means the world to us.
Dami
I remember getting a call one day from a mutual friend, asking me to audition for OUTKASTS. Honestly, I didn’t know who they were at first, all I did know was that I’d been wanting to be a part of such a crew since the beginning of time. I went to their Instagram and watched each one of their videos and fell in love with their charisma, dance as well as their style. I knew I’d mesh well with them, and so I did audition and eventually ended up getting selected.
It was like a dream come true having such sweet souls around me who shared the same passion as I do. I have never been busy for OUTKASTS, have always been more than ecstatic to create amazing content with this lovely crew of mine. I’ve learned so much from my members who are all still so young yet so talented. I’ve always looked at them with such love, respect and gratitude knowing they will be there for me every step of the way. OUTKASTS is a family with every member taking upon a mother’s role to one another. Our youngest member is 14, yet she still takes it upon herself to look after everyone which makes us all feel so warm and loved. This is what OUTKASTS is about. A family first and then a dance crew.
Shubhi
I’ve always admired OUTKASTS even before I was a part of them. I used to be so happy whenever they dropped a new video, a new reel or even a new story of them just enjoying together. They dropped out a post talking about auditions in 2021 and I knew I had to participate no matter what, took part in it despite of being unwell at the particular point but apparently got selected and I couldn’t have been happier and prouder of myself.
This journey has been really wholesome ever since then. Being the youngest here I can surely say that I’ve never met someone as caring and beautiful inside out as these precious people. This crew makes me feel so lively and makes me forget about anything negative going on. The bond, the love, the care and everything we share is so pure and immaculate. OUTKASTS is like my second home now and I am so so so grateful for this. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, hopefully we reach heights together forever. So proud of us girlies <3
Kobi
OUTKASTS will never let you have a hard time alone. I feel like I’m in seventh heaven being a part of OUTKASTS. I love how my members take care of each other even if the member is old enough to look after themselves. We naturally become the caretakers for each other. One day, randomly I received a message from OUTKASTS regarding the auditions and I remember how I used to have a glimpse of their videos every-time they posted something. So, getting a message asking to be a part of the crew shocked me, I couldn’t believe they had reached out to me so I had to make sure it was really them. I honestly felt so ecstatic and made up my mind about giving the auditions and luckily got in.
I was extremely excited to be a part of the crew and when I had my first meetup with the members, I witnessed how they were the most gorgeous and charming people I had ever met. Ever since then, we have stuck together through thick and thin, made amazing memories, and have shared the happiest of moments. It felt so unreal, the selfless love they showed towards me. Despite us all being from different walks of life with different backgrounds and cultures, we are here sharing our passion for dancing and making sure to give always our best to Kasters (our followers). I’m so grateful being a part of the crew and I always wear the widest smile when I’m with them in person.
Arya
From what I recall, my inclination towards dance started when I was really young. My mom’s interest in the classical field reinforced my admiration towards Kathak, a classical dance form. During lockdown, I took several dance workshops. I started learning choreographies at home apart from the dance form I was trained in.
I was fortunate to meet two wonderful members of OUTKASTS. While sharing about ourselves and our interests, we found a lot in common. That was the first time I heard about OUTKASTS, I loved the way they were functioning as a team. After few months, I was introduced to the crew over a google meet. Even though I was a new addition to the group, I never felt that way. The caring, affectionate and supportive nature of the crew is so endearing. Trust me, they truly are gems. Each member is so special and talented. Without a doubt, OUTKASTS is really close to my heart. So grateful to be a part of it. Can’t wait to witness the bundles of surprises and success, the future beholds for our team.
Arzoo
Joining the OUTKASTS was one of the best things that happened to me this year. Not only because I’ve found people who share the same passion but also because I’ve got myself caring friends who always motivate each other. I’m so grateful for all the love and support I’ve received from fellow members and Kasters. I will try my best to work hard and not take any of this for granted.
OUTKASTS
We wanted people to have a space, to have a purpose, to feel safe and to be themselves in the crew. The K-pop community in India has grown so immensely in the past few years and OUTKASTS has grown alongside as well, even though we still have a long way to go. We hope to make an impact and difference through quality content to our audience. Our way of expressing ourselves is through content creation and making dance covers like “performance videos.” We have been recognised by one of the biggest international editors – Jordan Orme and renowned artists – Shazeb Sheikh, Akanksha Sharma, Kim Miju, Sanket Panchal, Brother Bin and so many more. Despite members having hectic schedules, through communication and timely meetings we make time to come together and practice to shoot. The 3 Cs – communication, comprehension and conclusion is very important in a group of people. To communicate and freely talk, to understand and to come to a joint decision.
We are grateful for our manager – Varad Saxena who always has our backs no matter what and where we are, our videographer – Herschelle Lakra who is so dedicated and patient with us and of course, Kasterswithout whom we wouldn’t be where we are today!
OUTKASTS is not only a dance crew but a team that is a family. It’s incredible to think that our passion- dancing, has brought all of us together. Our love and care for each other is so warm and feels like a blanket of safety. It is a bond we all are so grateful for. Our goal together as a crew, has definitely been about making a big name for OUTKASTS, becoming the best version of ourselves, improving our dancing skills, helping each other with our own personal development, personality, confidence, and making lovely memories that we can hold onto in the future, and all in all, just having fun as friends.
We couldn’t have asked for a better support system than OUTKASTS and we are grateful each day that it was dance which united all of us as one big family.
On behalf of our entire Hallyuism Team, we would like to extend our best wishes to OUTKASTS and cheer for them to take the Hallyu wave higher in India and all over the world with their amazing teamwork, hard work and passion!
Loved reading about them 💜💜 They are so talented!🔥
Wow..Thanks for writing this article. They are talented 😍
Wow! I’m a fan now. Will definitely gonna check out moreeeee
what a group of talented girls.
These girls are super talented 🙌
Best wishes and succes to these girls!!! 🤩
I saw their performance last year in Kpop contest India and since then I am a fan of this group . One of the finest in India. Every member is soo talented and their performances are flawless, engaging and fantastic.