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CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION

2008- 2014                              Ph. D  (Dance Studies) –York University, Toronto, Ontario.

2006-2008                               M.A (Dance)- York University, Toronto, Ontario.      

2002-2006                               B.A (Hons) (History, Drama)- Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario                                                                       

PROFESSIONAL DANCE TRAINING

 

Classical Indian Odissi Dance (1997-Present):

·Guru Durgacharan Ranbir (India, 2011-present)

·Sushree Mishra Kar (Guelph, Canada, 2009-2011)

·Chitra Krishnamurthy (Maryland, USA, 2000-2002)

·Guru Sushant Raut (New Delhi, India, 1998-200)

·Guru Balmiki Bannerjee (New Delhi, India, 1997-1998)

Central Asian Dance Forms (2008-Present):

 

·Iranian Dance: Training for choreographic project This Dance I Wish by Farzaneh Kaboli of Iran (2008), Miriam Peretz Intensive (2015)

·Uyghur Dance: Hally Issac (2015- Present)

·Azeri dance: Gönul Ozturkman  (Dicle University State Conservatory, Turkey, 2015), Timur Mashkadan (Istanbul Kafkas Dance Company, Turkey, 2015), Tabriz Music and Dance Ensemble (Toronto, 2017)

·Kazakh Dance: Akmaral Kainazarova (2018): Kazakh dance technique and repertoire intensive, as part of Kainazarova's International Artist in Residence week at Ensemble Topaz (Toronto, 2018)

 

Dances of Romani Heritage (2013-Present)

 

·Turkish Romani Dance:  Aydin and Göksu Elbasan (Tuzla, Turkey, 2015), Reyhan Tuzsuz (Istanbul, Turkey, 2016), Fethi Karakecili (2013-present), Iana Komarnytska (2014): study funded by Canada Council for the Arts Grant to Professional Dancers: Professional Development Grant

 

·Indian Kalbeliya Dance and Dances of Rajasthan's Thar Desert, Northwest India:

Gulabo Sapera (India), Suva Devi Kalbeliya (India), Raki Kalbeliya (India), Sarita Gaur (India: Chari dance with balancing pots of fire on head): Study funded by Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Professional Development Grant (2016)

Durga Devi Kalbeliya (Jaisalmer, India): Bhavai dance (featuring several pots balanced on the head), Kalbeliya dance (2019, 2020)

Suva Devi Kalbeliya (Sursagar, near Jodhpur, India): Tera Tali dance

·Simona Jovic (2014), Shila Mehta (2013), Ariane Terveld (2013)

 

·Egyptian Ghawazee Dance (Intensives/Workshops): Simona Jovic (2014), Fields Dance Studio (2013)

 

 

 

 

AWARDS AND GRANTS

  • Ontario Arts Council Skills and Career Development Grant (2019-2020): Funding travel, living and training costs for professional development and study in Iranian dances

  • Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Professional Development Grant (2016): Funded travel, living and training costs in Rajasthan, India, for professional development and study of traditional Kalbeliya dance and allied movement practices.

  • Ontario Arts Council Artist-in-Education First Steps Grant (2016): Funding for teaching "Dances of South Asia" project in Ontario schools.

  • Canada Council for the Arts Grant to Professional Dancers (2015): Funded travel, living, and training costs in Turkey (Istanbul and Dicle University State Conservatory, Diyarbakir) for professional development and training in Turkish Romani and Anatolian dance styles.

  • Urban Flair Youth Talent Competition: 1st place (2015). (Dance Category)

  • Urban Flair Youth Talent Competition: 2nd runner up (2014) (Dance Category)

  • Shastri Indo-Canadian Fine Arts Fellowship (2012): Funded travel, training and living costs in India for further training in classical Indian Odissi dance

  • Toronto Sanskriti Sangstha featured Young Artist (2010)

  • Lawrence E. Heisey Award (2009): York University. Awarded for scholarly and artistic work in Dance discipline

PROFESSIONAL DANCE WORK (2008-Present)

 

  • As Independent Dance Artist (2008-Present): Performances, Workshops, Choreographic work in India, United States, Canada, Netherlands and Czech Republic. Select performances: National Choreography Festival (India), Toronto International Youth Dance Festival (Canada), The Cloud Danslab (Netherlands), Lullabies in Exile Concert (Czech Republic), Performances with Sampradaya Dance Creations at Dance Ontario Weekend and Friends of India Newfoundland concert, South Asian Homelands Festival, Canadian National Exhibition, Pakistan Consulate General hosted Pakistan Pavillion, Woodbine Centre. Choreographer and dancer in music videos by Afghan-Canadian artists Saboor Tabish and Obaid Amiri.

 

  • Ensemble Topaz (2016- Present) (Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer): Choreographing for productions and performances at private events, performance, and working collaboratively with Ensemble Topaz musicians of Afghan, Persian and contemporary Canadian music genres. Performances at Toronto International Dance Festival 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, Tirgan Festival 2019, Taste of India 2019, Shab e Favardin 2019, ICBA Yalda Gala 2019, Aga Khan Museum First Five Festival, Niagara Folk Arts Festival 2018, Iranian Fire Festival, Festival of South Asia, Canadian National Exhibition International Stage, TD Songs of Summer, Oakville, Canada Day at Yonge-Dundas Square hosted by Community Folk Arts Council of Toronto, Ontario Heritage Festival at Ontario Place.  Co-hosted feature length international collaborations "Pomegranate Garden: An Evening of Central Asian Dance and Music" (2018), featuring dance artist Akmaral Kainazarova of Kazakhstan, and "Hands in Harmony" (2018) featuring setar player Fariba Hedayati of Iran, and concert "Winter Flame" co-presented by Small World Music Society (2019). Choreographed and Performed for Ensemble Topaz's five-city northern Ontario tour (2019).  Music Video "Dildar" by Afghan-Canadian singer Noor Haya. 

  • Dilan Dance Company (Toronto, Canada, 2011-Present) (Soloist, Ensemble Member and Touring): (Genre: Kurdish Contemporary and Traditional Dances, Middle Eastern and Romani Dances) Performed in two world premieres and at Identity Exhibition Opening, Royal Ontario Museum, Tirgan Festival, Anatolian Cultural Foundation, Toronto Kurdish Festival, Art Games Conference.

  • Janak Khendry Dance Company (Toronto, Canada, 2015) (Ensemble Member): (Genre: Classical Indian Bharatanatyam dance) Performed in Women Liberated (2015), Betty Oliphant Theatre.

  • Nrutyayan (India, 2011) (Soloist, Ensemble Member and Touring) (Genre: Classical Indian Odissi Dance): Performed in Odisha, toured northern India, taught daily classes and coached scholarship students of the institution.

 

  • Vashton Dance Company (Toronto, Canada, 2008) (Ensemble Member and Touring) (Genre: Iranian Traditional and Contemporary): Performed and toured Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal with This Dance I Wish, under visiting choreographer of Iran.

 

 

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INDEPENDENT DANCE WORK

Solo Productions

  • Vignettes of Sringaar, The Cloud Danslab, Netherlands, 2015 (20 minutes)

  • Corpus Matris (Classical Indian dance solo) (45 minutes, Choreographer: Guru Durgacharan Rabir), Toronto Fringe Festival (Theatre Passe-Muraille, Toronto, 2013),  Horizon Soloist Series (Sampradaya Theatre, Mississauga, 2014 )

ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS

 

  • The Rain, Indo-Persian Dance Collaboration with choreographer Ida Meftahi, Brigantine Stage, Harbourfront Centre, Masala Mehndi Masti Winter Festival (2010).

  • Derwaza, the Door: Collaboration with contemporary choreographer Jasmyn Fyffe, BLC Stage, Masala Mehndi Masti Festival (2010)

  • Rhythm and Hues, Dance-Live Art collaboration with canvas painter Fahim Hamid Ali, House of Moments, Toronto (2014)

  • Nritya Sangam, with Sampradaya Dance Creations (Dance Ontario Dance Weekend Fleck Dance Theatre, Toronto (January 2016); Friends of India performance, St. Johns, Newfoundland, (January 2016)).

  • An Encounter in Hicaz, live music-dance collaboration with Mike Anklewicz. The Hub, Toronto (February 2016)

  • Jashn-e-Shab, live music-dance collaboration with Mike Anklewicz. Dancemakers Studio Theatre, Toronto ON (July 2018), TD Songs of Summer festival, Oakville (August 2018), Pomegranate Garden: An Evening of Central Asian Dance and Music (August 2018).

TEACHING

POST-SECONDARY TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Department of Dance, York University: Studio Teaching Assistant, teaching classical Indian Odissi dance technique (Winter Semester, January- April 2007)

  • Centre for Academic Writing, York University (Instructor): 2008-2010

GUEST LECTURES

  • Guest lecture at York University Department of Music. (Topic: Dances of Odisha in eastern India and the Khalbeliya tribe in western India) (March 2014, November 2013).

  • Guest lecture in York University Department of Music (Lecture Topic: The Ethnographic Fieldwork Experience) (April 2013)

DANCE WORKSHOPS TAUGHT 

  • Afghan dance, Tajik Dance, Anatolian Dance. Studio Caravane. Montreal, Quebec. 2017

  • Nine Moods of Classical Indian Dance. The Cloud Danslab. Netherlands. 2015

  • Folk Dances from northern and eastern India. Ontario Folk Dance Association, Toronto 2014.

  • Afghani and Central Asian Dance and Traditional Indian Dance. Fields Dance Studio, Virginia, U.S.A. 2013.

  • Classical Indian Odissi Dance, Sampradaya Dance Academy, Mississauga, Canada. 2013.

Dance Teaching Experience

  • Dance instructor for South Asian traditional dance (Toronto, Maple/Vaughan, Brampton)

  • Dance Instructor for Persian dance (Toronto) 

  • In-school dance workshops (Grades 6-8) on behalf of Great Big Theatre Company's TIES programme (Hamilton, 2009)

  • Great Big Theatre Company Theatre and Dance Instructor (2004-2007)

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