BROADWAY

TOURS

REGIONAL THEATER (highlights only)

Children of Eden Aphra/Snake Paper Mill Playhouse, NJ

Fables Ensemble Denver Center Theater, CO

Hair Rani/Dad II Northshore Music Theater, MA

West Side Story Consuelo Irvine Barclay Theater, CA

A Funny Thing Happened… Domina Diablo Valley College, CA

Jungle Book Narrator/Mother Wolf Mohonk Mt. Theater Company, NY

OTHER DANCE AND THEATER

Anam Cara: Angels of A cappella A cappella Singing Group New York City

Hadassah: Kissed by the Gods Principal dancer Joyce Soho, NYC

New York Renaissance Festival “Gypsy Tinker” dancer Tuxedo Park, NY

Novisi Cultural Troupe Principal dancer Ghana, West Africa

Int’l Conference:African Music and Dance Principal dancer Ghana, West Africa

Le Temp Principal dancer Sonya Delwaide, Choreographer

Sombra y Sol Principal dancer Donald McKayle, Choreographer

Games Principal dancer Donald McKayle, Choreographer

Juke Joint Principal dancer Bernard Johnson, Choreographer

Do Not Go Gentle Principal dancer Sean Green of Lewitsky Dance

FILM

Cirque du Soleil Presents Dralion Lead DVD/VHS released, airs on Bravo

Green Eyed Girl Lead Director: Vanita Shastry

TV

The Defenders Recurring CBS/Davis Guggenheim

TELEVISION APPEARANCES

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno performance spot

The Donny and Marie Show performance spot and interview

Live with Regis and Kelly performance spot

RECORDINGS

Children of Eden Original American cast album; 1998

CHOREOGRAPHY

Stories…on the MOVE! (2013)

Premiered at the Ford Amphitheater, Los Angeles

60 minute family-friendly show with live music

Possession (2013)

Premiered at East West Players, Los Angeles

20 minute dance-theater with live music

I Am You (2012)

Premiered at the Annenberg Community Beach House, Santa Monica

60 minute site-specific dance that engages community performers

Human Nature (2011)

Premiered at California Plaza-Grand Performances, Los Angeles

50 minute multi-media dance-theater solo

Bahu-Beti-Biwi (2010)

Premiered at Highways Performance Space

50 minute dance-theater solo

It’s a Sign (2003)

Premiered at ODC, San Francisco

20 minute dance for 7 performers

Lullaby Goodbye (2003)

Premiered at ODC, San Francisco

12 minute dance for 4 performers

Calabash (2003)

Premiered at ODC, San Francisco

13 minute dance for 3 performers

Takers (2002)

Premiered at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater, San Francisco

11 minute dance for 6 performers

Chicks (2002)

Premiered at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater, San Francisco

17 minute dance for 7 performers

When the Children Sleep (1995)

Premiered at the Dance Roots Festival, Los Angeles

15 minute dance for 6 dancers, 4 musicians, 5 singers

COMMISSIONED WORKS FOR THEATERS/FESTIVALS/UNIVERSITIES

Jane of the Jungle (2012)

Commissioned by South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA

Created original choreography for this world premiere.

Naasta (Snacks) (2011)

Commissioned by Cornerstone Theater Company, Los Angeles

for the “Creative Seeds” Festival

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2011)

Commissioned by CalState University Northridge Dept. of Theater

to create choreography for this musical.  

Making Paradise: The West Hollywood Musical (2010)

Commissioned by Cornerstone Theater Company, Los Angeles

to create original choreography for this world premiere.

Koo Koo (2010)

Commissioned by the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance, Tel Aviv, Israel.

to create an original dance on pre-professional dancers for the Bridge:Choreographic Dialogs Festival.

Dit Taam (2009)

Commissioned by the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance, Tel Aviv, Israel.

to create an original dance on pre-professional dancers for the Bridge:Choreographic Dialogs Festival.

Taming of the Shrew (2006)

Commissioned by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco

to create choreography for this play.

Baby Taj (2005)

Commissioned by Theatre Works, Palo Alto

to create original choreography for this world premiere.

Live concert featuring Kojo Entwi (1993)

Commissioned to create choreography for a live concert  

for Ghana’s top singer-songwriter, Kojo Entwi.  

Balanced/Unbalanced (1993)

Commissioned by the Irvine Arts Festival

to create choreography on and around a new sculpture being unveiled.

RESIDENCIES

Montalvo Arts Center, Lucas Artists Residency Program (2013)

A one to three month artist residency supporting the development of new and challenging contemporary work.

CEI Cultural Exchange International Fellowship (2012)

A four week residency at The Bijlmer ParkTheater in Amsterdam where I worked with the Surinamese Hindustani community as well as other people of Indian origin to develop a process and create dialogue around their unique experiences and feelings of being Indian and of living in an Indian diaspora.  Culminated in a short performance.

Annenberg Beach House Residency (2012)

A 10-week summer residency to develop and present a site-specific dance work for the Beach House site as a part of the ongoing “Beach=Culture” series, to which the public is invited.

Asia-Pacific Performance Exchange (APPEX) (2010)

Received a fellowship to participate in a 3-week international artist residency in Bali, Indonesia.  Traditional and contemporary performing artists from around Asian Pacific and the Americas engaged in master classes, studio workshops, experimentation, collaborative projects and public performances.

UCLA Hothouse (2008) and (2012)

Hothouse provides a residency for the creation of new work for six local choreographers at UCLA’s Glorya Kaufman Hall to support the creation of new work by Los Angeles based choreographers.

TEACHING

Rio Hondo Community College Adjunct Faculty (2011)

Teaching to Undergraduate mixed majors: World Dance (1 unit)

and Pilates (1 unit)

CalState Polytechnic University, Pomona Adjunct Faculty (2011)

Teaching to Undergraduate mixed majors: “Bollywood Dance”:

Set choreography for Annual Festival (1 unit)

CalState University Los Angeles Adjunct Faculty (2009)  

Teaching to Undergraduate mixed majors: “Cross-Cultural Themes in Dance”:

A survey of dance forms from around the world (4 units) and

“North Indian Dance” (2 units).  Set choreography for Spring Dance Concert.

UCLA, World Arts & Cultures Lead Instructor, Teaching Assistant   (2007- 2009)

Lead Instructor: Teaching to B.A./B.F.A/M.A/M.F.A dance/theater majors: “Beginning Improvisation” (2 units), “Contemporary Kathak” (2 units), “Activist Puppetry” (3 units).  As part of the Activist Puppetry class, I directed students in the creation of several performance events that were featured as a part of an exhibition at The Fowler Museum in Los Angeles and part of downtown L.A.’s “Art Walk”.

Teaching Assistant: Teaching sections: “Art and Moral Action”, “Culture and Identity”, “Production”

Teaching Residencies

CEI Cultural Exchange International Director/Community Facilitator (2012)

A four week residency and fellowship at The Bijlmer ParkTheater in Amsterdam where I worked with the Surinamese Hindustani community as well as other people of Indian origin to develop a process and create dialogue around their unique experiences and feelings of being Indian and of living in an Indian diaspora.

Bridge: Choreographic Dialogues Instructor/Choreographer (2008 & 2009)

An Education Exchange Project of the Los Angeles/Tel Aviv Partnership.

Teaching and choreographing on pre-professional contemporary dancers at the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance, Tel Aviv, Israel

UCLA Summer Dance Theater Intensive Instructor/Choreographer (2009 & 2010)

An eight-day program for advanced high school students that mixes the disciplines of dance, theater, music, and social activism. The program is geared towards students interested in exploring how the arts can raise awareness and consciousness regarding a variety of socially relevant themes.  Teaching poly-rhythms, voice and movement culminating in a final choreography.

Private and Group training in Pilates (2001- present)

Certified on mat and full apparatus.  Certified and teaching since 2001 at various

studios, physical therapy clinics, universities and sports clubs.

Arts Education

The Center’s Arts Teach, Costa Mesa, CA Assemblies for schools (2012-   )

“Stories…on the MOVE!” – Dancing storytellers Sheetal Gandhi and Shyamala Moorty artfully weave rhythm, song, gesture and facial expression into a dynamic and fun exploration of Indian mythology and it’s connections to children’s worlds today.

Arts Connection, NYC Consultant Workshop Leader (1996-1998)

Taught various 10-week residencies in elementary and high schools throughout the New York Triborough area.

CURATING

REDCAT Studio, Los Angeles (Spring/2010)

REDCAT Studio, Los Angeles (Winter/2011)

3rd National Asian American Theater Festival (2011)

EDUCATION (Training resume on request)

Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) Dance/Choreography, UCLA (2006-2009)

B.A. with Honors in Dance and Psychology, UC Irvine (1990-1995)

HONORS

Montalvo Artist Residency (2013)

NDP Touring Award (2012-13)

CHIME Grant (2012)

Cultural Exchange International (CEI) Fellowship by LA Dept. of Cultural Affairs (2012)

Annenberg Beach House Choreographer’s Residency (2012)

C.O.L.A Individual Artist Grant by the L.A. Dept. of Cultural Affairs (2010)

APPEX fellow/international artist residency in Bali (2010)

1st place “Audience Favorite” at Oakland Dance Festival (2008)

Shirley Carter Scholarship (2008)

Hot House Choreography Residency (2008)

Family Forti Scholarship (2007)

Graduate Division Scholarship, UCLA (2006)

Katheryn Karipides Dance Scholarship (2006)

Key Note Speaker at UC Irvine Commencement Arts Awards Ceremony (2005)