dance

My Background in Dance

I am a dancer, teacher and choreographer of Indian and Iranian descent, with over 35 years of experience in classical Indian and Iranian (Persian) dance forms. In 1984 at the age of 3, I started training in Bharata Natyam, a South Indian classical dance, primarily under the tutelage of Guru Revathi Satyu and Guru Anuradha Naimpally, with additional training in India with Guru Pandit Venugopal and Guru Jayashree Pillai. Completing my Arangetram (debut graduation performance) in the Tanjavur style of Bharata Natyam at the age of 16, I went on to co-found and c0-direct an award-winning classical Indian dance ensemble called Nritya Sangam Indian Dance Troupe in 2002, during my time as a student at the University of Texas at Austin.

I began transitioning to the study of Iranian dance forms in 2000. I received formal training in Iranian traditional, contemporary, and folk dance from 2007-2018. I primarily studied with Shahrzad Khorsandi, a pioneer in the world of Persian dance and author of one of the first modern books on Persian dance pedagogy in 2015, entitled, The Art of Persian Dance. I served as Assistant Director of Shahrzad Dance Academy from 2008-2009, and completed the Comprehensive Fundamentals in Persian Dance (CFPD) certification in Ms. Khorsandi’s style of Persian dance in 2018.

I was also a member of Ballet Afsaneh, a premiere Central Asian dance company, from 2007-2009, where I studied and performed Tajik, Afghan and Iranian dance forms under Miriam Peretz and also trained with Tara Catherine Pandeya.

From 2012-2020, I created and directed an award-winning dance company called Ravaan Persian Dance, the only Persian dance company in Texas at that time.

Currently, I focus on creating specialized choreographies and training dancers. I have had the opportunity to choreograph dances for live performances, music videos, and short films for artists such as Agni Entertainment, Atash, Fared Shafinury, Oliver Rajamani, Susan Youssef (director of the film Marjoun and the Flying Headscarf, which debuted in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival), and Iranian pop singer Sandy. In 2021 I trained Leila Sabet in Persian dance to compete in the Miss Florida pageant where Leila earned the title of 2nd runner-up.

I see dance as an access point for people to increase awareness and appreciation of self and others, as well as a way for us to integrate our body with our being. Dance has been a powerful healing practice for me, and I strive to bring healing through dance for others.