Zahra Dhanani

Dance Dance Revolution!
Dance Dance Revolution!

Zahra Dhanani
Legal Director, Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children

Music makes Zahra Dhanani feel alive. “Very early on I was able to see that music is a fantastic mobilizer and unifier,” she says. “It reaches people in a way nothing else can.

Zahra Dhanani - photo by Daniel EhrenworthAs a DJ, Dhanani uses music to bring people together. Over a decade ago, the self-described “social justice fiend” began spinning South Asian music at mainstream bars, uniting people of different races, classes and sexual identities on the dance floor. “Everyone learned to accept each other because they all loved the music,” Dhanani recalls.

Since then, her shows have morphed into fantastic stage productions involving costumes, makeup artists and dancers. Given her jovial and flamboyant nature, she says that people don’t always understand why she became a lawyer. But for Dhanani it’s simple: law is another agent of change. “We live in such a legislative state,” she says. “You have to know the law fight it.”

To find out about upcoming shows, visit zahradhanani.com [Ed. note: No longer active]