Learn Kathak from a professional dancer and cherish the culture of India.

Find out more about Shipra

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  My main subject is the Indian Classical Dance, Kathak. I love to dance, it was my mother's dream to learn Dance and she put me in a dance class before I even knew anything about Dance. At the age of 5, I went on stage and performed for myself and it's been unstoppable since then. Whenever I hear any beats, my body naturally starts moving and grooving on the beats. Be it Bhangra, or Kathak, dance has been more than just an art for me. It's how I feel the happiest I ever feel!

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  Life! I feel there's no great teacher than life itself. I always feel my best while performing on stage for myself but as I grew up into adulthood, I started seeing the confidence it brought in me and teaching young minds who are willing to learn and grow with DANCE. It gave me financial independence and the courage to walk in the world with a grooving smile and a dancing soul.

• How does your work help society?

  I will answer this question with a beautiful story where I performed Tandav and Lasya at a state level competition where I needed to showcase my talent for women empowerment. In the dance performance, there were two major parts, Tandav is a part of Lord Shiva where he channelises his anger through a dance with props and Lasya is a feminine form of dance where Goddess Parvati expresses her softness and divinity through beautiful dance moments. When I performed this combination and hit the perfect amalgamation of feminine and masculine energy, I felt the synchronisation with the ultimate Divine and hence I bagged the first position on state level to empower women through dance. That's the impact of my work on society.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  If I had to think of a role model, it is of every individual whose heart can't be contained when music is played. They start dancing on the beats as the music plays along. I do remember learning about a woman who loved to dance and met with an accident where she lost both her legs and it crushed her soul when she got to know that she can probably never dance in her entire lifetime.
  But little did the world know her resilience and love for dance that she started practicing with her fake metal legs only to dance for herself one day. She is my role model because that's the resilience I carry in my heart for dance.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  I love spending time in nature. Be it stone Balancing, meditating and just being in the company of stray animals. It warms my heart when I am being an act of service to my fellow beings.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  The biggest thing I have heard from my students in my teaching journey is when they feel connected with their body and find their soul through dance.