At the age of 7, Karn began his journey in dance, inspired by Michael Jackson's album "Dangerous." He started performing at school events and family gatherings, igniting his lifelong passion. Later, he discovered Salsa dancing, which opened the door to a world of movement artistry. While pursuing engineering studies at Stanford he expanded his repertoire with various social dances.
In 2014, Karn joined a prominent Latin dance company from LA, performing Salsa and Bachata in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Today, he's skilled in over a dozen dance genres, a testament to years of dedicated practice. Tango captivated him in 2015, and he immersed himself in the art of Argentine tango during a visit to Buenos Aires in 2017. In June 2023, Karn continued his tango journey in Rome under the guidance of dancer, actor and teacher, Pablo Verón.
To Karn, dance is more than just steps; it's a profound connection of mind, body, and spirit. It allows individuals to express themselves uniquely in the present moment through movement.
Karn's approach to dance and teaching is deeply rooted in his meditation practice, emphasizing humility and authenticity. He believes that dance has transformative potential, promoting personal and societal well-being while nurturing growth and harmony, extending beyond entertainment.
"Tango means different things to different people, as it is so wide and deep in its appeal, but for me it is a dance of passion, beauty and love. A passion larger than romantic passion, a beauty higher than physical beauty, and a love deeper than sensual love. Passion, beauty and love, that doesn't necessarily have to include or exclude it’s tangible forms; it is implicitly complete. It is a love that responds to what it sees in the moment.
The colors, forms, and embrace of the two in Gino Sevirini's Tango Argentino embodies that kind of love. It is in some sense, pure. We can see the dancers but we can also see through them. They are both made up of the same stuff, the brush strokes and the cubical forms, but they are different too, in color and size. They are the only ones there, but they melt into the background, and therefore, embody the dance, to an extent that they 'are' the dance, they are this work of art, they are Tango Argentino!"
The first batch of Feeling Flow was at the beautiful Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto in the fall of 2022.
Argentine tango and Cross Step Waltz at the Bechtel International Center at Stanford, as well as making multiple appearances at Friday Night Waltz in Palo Alto from 2017 to 2019.
Karn has been researching tango from the life long collection of the late tango dancer, teacher and historian Alberto Paz. Thanks to Valorie Hart for giving him this archive, and to Richard Powers for making the connection.
The teachers that made it possible for Karn to learn and teach tango.
And, Sabrina Amato for pointing to a new peak in Argentine tango in the magnificient city of Rome!
The mission of Feeling Flow is to enable people to experience "Flow" through dance and related arts, and to translate this learning experience to other areas of their life.
Flow is a state of awareness where we are completely immersed in what is right in front of us. It is a highly satisfying state that facilitates well-being and growth. The essential conditions for flow are (a) clear goals (b) stretching of abilities (c) immediate feedback. And, a certain affection for what we're doing.
Dance is one of those activities where experiencing flow is comparatively easy. And, we see, dance, in its essence, is a form of self-discovery and connection practice. It is our experience that understanding ourselves and others brings us happiness. And, they say that the best way to know ourselves is through the mirror of relating with others. So what better way to do it than through music and movement in dance?
Outside the richness of Argentine tango, some other dances we like are Bollywood, Hiphop, Bhangra, Breakdance, Shuffle, Salsa, Bachata, Cha cha, Fusion, Zouk, and Waltz. We are also interested in fusion of popular forms like BachaTango, TangoZouk, TangoWaltz and more. The possibilities are limitless.
In the long term, we aspire to facilitate an environment which encourages creation of entirely new dance forms through empowering dance teachers, and teaching in general. We believe this will contribute to harmony, well-being, growth and peace in society.
At the end of the day, we see that dance is a great teacher and facilitator helping us live happy lives.
Offered in the SF Bay area
Karn balances his work with Feeling Flow with his work in tech. He is currently developing a protocol at the intersection of healthcare and web3 that will help decentralize access to care. Outside of dance and tech, he likes to host friends and practitioners for Chanoyu, Japanese ceremonial tea, and has been practicing Zen since 2016.
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