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Pooja Mehta's Sister and Mother Dance Alongside Her in Dancing Queens — Who Are They?
“We are all very driven women," said makeup artist Pooja Mehta. "We all push each other, especially when it comes to dance.”
In the glittery but high-pressure sphere of Pro-Am Latin ballroom, competitors’ inner voices tend to nag nonstop — Look your best! Dance to perfection! Hit your goals!
Reaching expectations — both the ones you set for yourself and the ones others set for you — seems to be a fear for Pooja Mehta, one of six talented competitors on Dancing Queens, airing Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Pooja's mother and sister are also in the ballroom dancing world, which adds a new layer to the process. Here's what to know about Pooja's family.
Pooja's Following Family Footsteps
Pooja recently shifted dance categories — from rhythm to Latin — to compete alongside her sister, Meera, and mother, Luna. All three dance with Kristijan Burazer, the ex-partner of Colette Marotto. (That partner switch has been its own source of drama.)
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“We’re inseparable. I feel like we’re three sisters,” Pooja said about Meera and Luna, who are both doctors. “We are all very driven women and so we all push each other especially when it comes to dance.”
But a push can sometimes feel like a shove.
“Mom and Meera always like to say, ‘Latin dancing is a lot more competitive than rhythm,’” Pooja added. “But what I hear is ‘Pooja, you can be better.’”
Who Is Pooja’s Sister Meera?
Dr. Meera Mehta is a board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist based in Arizona who trained at the University of New Mexico and Creighton University. She lists dancing among the activities she enjoys in her free time.
Meera has often written about the stress-relieving benefits of meditation and mindfulness, which Dancing Queens' Leonie Biggs may enjoy: She has been seen on the series quieting her mind through meditation.
Who Is Pooja’s Mother Luna?
Luna is an Arizona-based psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience, who graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy. She also knows her way around a dance floor.
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When Pooja lamented that she had “two left feet” when dancing the Paso Doble, Luna stepped up. “When you dance Paso, you dance it with the energy that you are fighting for your life,” she said. “You’re being chased by a bull. And you're going to win.”
Pooja Mehta's Family Dynamics, Explained
After Pooja finished last in a New Orleans competition, her mom and Meera both praised her competitiveness.
“Next time will be different,” said Luna. “It's going to be a different ballgame.”
Pooja admitted to her husband, Shimon, that having her family watching “and judging,” isn’t easy. “It was really hard to place last,” she said.
It’s doubly difficult because Luna and Meera are such accomplished dancers: “They’re very competitive. They're great dancers. They know how to hold themselves on the floor. And that’s pressure."
Pooja Mehta's Other Sister
On Dancing Queens, Pooja, Meera, and their mom recharged at Second Nature Clinic. They’re seen in an IV therapy session at the center run by Pooja’s other sister, Meghana, a naturopathic doctor.
“Being the middle child with two sisters, I’ve always been a bit of a rebel,” Pooja said. “I had a lot of pressure to go into medicine. Both my parents are doctors. Both my sisters are doctors and I’m a makeup artist.”
She launched Makiaj Beauty in 2010.
“Being a makeup artist … that’s like hired help back in India,” Pooja added. “I found success in a career that I’m more passionate about.”
She’s just as fired up about dance and has resolved to practice to master the Latin ballroom category.
Pooja’s drive to succeed is amplified by her desire to keep up with her family.
“My mom, Meera, and myself are all planning to go and compete in Dallas,” she said. “Everyone that’s good is going to show up there. What if I’m the only one that doesn't do well?”
To see what happens next for Pooja, Colette, Leonie, as well as Gaëlle Benchetrit, Donie Burch, and Sabrina Strasser, watch Dancing Queens, airing Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
