An internationally recognized dancer and choreographer, Shivani has toured and performed with Bharata Natyam (Indian classical dance), Bollywood, and mainstream western dance shows. She has worked in both Bollywood and Hollywood, notable credits including dancing in Bollywood film Chance Pe Dance with hearthrob Shahid Kapoor, Disney’s Step Up 3D, choreography for a Nationally run Intel print ad “Our Superstars”, and recently performing live at the Vanitha Film Industry Awards in Kerala, India. Shivani has toured across Canada as the lead female in Dvaya: A Confluence of Male Female Spirits, marking her as the first Canadian born Bharata Natyam artist to tour the country with a male dance partner and live musicians. She now will be the first Canadian artist to combine Bollywood, Bharata Natyam, and Bellydancing as she rehearses for and performs with Bellydance Superstars.
“This is a thrilling experience and an absolute honor! The show is a beautiful and rich; a production that expounds the technical prowess and artistic grace of belly dancing. Combine that grace with the upbeat color, rhythms, and dynamic beauty of India and you have a enrapturing show!...What I love about working on this show is that it respectfully incorporates, not just Bollywood, but the classical Indian dance styles of Bharata Natyam and Odissi.” says Shivani.
Shivani continues “It’s definitely a challenge, learning a show in five days, but I’m thankful to my strong dance background and experience, as it is supporting me in this endeavor. My fellow dancers in Bellydance Superstars are also incredibly gracious and supportive, quickly bringing me up to speed in choreography, formations, and bellydance technique. Being a professional Bharata Natyam and Bollywood dancer, this is my first true encounter with Belly dance and I’m enjoying every moment. It looks relatively easy, but the technique involved in Belly dance is both intricate and full of precise muscle control. It’s a totally different way of moving one’s body and is a fascinating art form.”
“It’s very rhythmic and musical dance form in execution. In addition to Indian dancing, I am a Tapper (trained by veteran tapper Greg Poland, Broadway cast of Black and Blue and touring cast of The Producers). Having an internal metronum in place due to tap dance and Bharata Natyam has definitely assisted me in this process…instead of my feet, I’m using my hips to accent the rhythms and play with the music.”
Shivani is choreographing her solo Bollywood and classical pieces for the show, joining the cast as the lead in the large-scale Bollywood numbers, and learning Belly dancing for the grand finale and other elements of the production.
She is looking forward to how this experience can carry towards her work in Canada, where she teaches master classes, dance intensives, and runs a successful Bollywood dance company MKM BollyStars, based in Calgary. Shivani was a nominee and finalist last year for 2010 Enbridge Emerging Artist Award, presented by the office of Mayor Dave Bronconnier and is an Arts Fellowship recipient and recently appointed Peer-Assessor for the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (a grants awarding body supporting Canadians to persue artistic projects of high merit in India while engaging in a cross cultural exchange). She has also received grants from Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and was the winner of the US National dance competition Bollypop, sponsored by Verizon Fios and Saavn Media Enteratainment.
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