With a name like Gitanjali (song offering) you’d think she was born to play records. Made in India & born in Oregon, Anjali was raised by Marathi banjaras & Cascadian loggers. She started DJing after watching too many boys run the soundtrack at house parties. After studying Kathak & Bharata Natyam for many years, Anjali eventually became a cheerleader of the Panjabi folk forms bhangra & giddha. Through her love of dance and her compulsive record buying/ music obsession Anjali saw herself as the dancer’s dj.
Since her Portland debut in 2000, DJ Anjali has existed as the city’s primary advocate and dance missionary for the many varied electronic sounds of the South Asian/desi diaspora. She introduced “bhangra” & “Bollywood” to the dance floors of Portland and is also known for throwing down dancehall, hiphop, reggaeton & global bass in her sets. Well-known as a dance floor instigator, she & her partner, The Incredible Kid, hold down several Portland party originals: ANDAZ (est. 2002) & Tropitaal (est. 2013) as well as 2 weekly radio shows: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Kush (Tues 10pm -midnight) & CHOR BAZAAR (Thurs 7-8pm PST.)
Anjali has been teaching Bhangra & Bollywood at The Viscount Dance Studio since early 2013. Her first dance teacher was her Indian Mum who trained in Kathak (North India Classical dance) as a student of the famed Gopi Krishna. Anjali herself studied Kathak with S. N. Charka & Santosh Vyas. She also spent years as a student of Jayanthi Raman, learning & performing Bharata Natyam (South Indian Classical dance.)
