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Artist Biographies

The #MonsterArts Program brings professional, world-class artists right to you. They teach various South Asian art forms and explore South Asian culture and history.

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About the Artists

Abiram Chandiramohan

Music

Abiram Chandiramohan is a Mississauga-based young adult interested in spreading the acquired cultural heritage and pride through performance of classical and mainstream Indian Tamil Film Music. Abi’s workshop consists of a game-styled, team-based workshop in which participants will engage in discussion, reminiscence and analysis of mega song hits from Indian Tamil Film Music Industry during the 50s-90s.

Alan Faigal

Dance

Alan Faigal is an education specialist with a health and wellness edge: he has studied holistic nutrition and is an associate PRO trainer with CanFitPro. He has performed at many #BollywoodMonsterMashup festivals (produced by MonstrARTity) as a dancer with Divine Heritage Artistry, a Bollywood fusion dance company, and is the National Youth Outreach Director for Culture Shock Canada, a network of nonprofit dance companies that bring hip hop to diverse audiences.

Anna Silgardo

Visual Arts

Anna Silgardo is the recipient of the 2019 Arts for Health award, Founder of Artists in Momentum (AIM), and Chair of the Arts for Mental Health Steering Committee, Mississauga Peel Region. A strong voice for the arts, she champions art as a vehicle to promote self-care in the community and work place. She collaborates with several partners to develop and facilitate programs that encourage self-reflection through creative self-expression. Her artistic expression is manifested in sculptures, murals, oils, acrylics, water colours, sketches and cartoons.

Devika Mathur

Visual Arts

Devika Mathur has been a professional artist for more than 15 years. She has participated in four exhibitions in New Delhi. Last year she participated in two art fairs in Fredericton N.B. She now lives in Mississauga, Ontario.
Devika has more than ten years of experience in teaching art in Fashion, Interior design and Architecture. She inherited fine arts skills from her mother & grandfather, both of whom were artists.

Devin Ramoutar

Music

Devin Ramoutar is a musical teacher who specializes in the art of percussion. West Indian & Indian rhythms flow through his veins, and he will be demonstrating and teaching patterns from both cultures.

Krystal Kiran

Dance

Krystal is a dancer, singer, actor and teacher with a background in the performing arts which blends her Western upbringing with her Eastern culture! She made her Broadway debut at the age of 19 in Bombay Dreams in New York, & since then has appeared in productions like AR Rahman’s Jai Ho World Tour. Krystal is also a registered Yoga teacher from India and has had the honour of sharing her passion for Bollywood/Classical Indian dance with students all over the world.

Melissa Marie

Dance

Melissa began dancing at the age of 8, training in Bollywood, Classical Indian, Chutney and other various genres of dance. Throughout the years, she continued to perform with numerous dance teams as well as a solo artist and went on to win several awards. In November 2018, Melissa Marie Dance was established in hopes of sharing her love for dance and her West Indian culture with other young women.

Nimra Bandukwala

Visual Arts

Nimra is a visual artist, a community facilitator and an educator based in Mississauga. She has facilitated workshops and projects with children, adults and individuals experiencing disability. She has worked across many mediums including painting, sculpture and found object art with a focus on how art can be used to share stories and create a community.

Pushpinder Rana

Music

Pushpinder has performed internationally in countries like South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya and more prior to establishing his roots in Canada. He has been singing since his childhood and is an ardent lover of SUFI music. He owns Pushpinder’s Bollywood Heat Group, a GTA based music group performing all over Canada and US. For him, true music takes the soul to the higher inner regions of consciousness.

Raheel Patel

Visual Arts, History

Raheel is the founder of one of Gujarat’s most respected organizations devoted to civic heritage, Vaarso Foundation (Heritage-Culture-Tradition). Devoted to city-wide heritage matters, Vaarso has a reputation for groundbreaking research, publications, education and outreach programs, unique events and innovative community partnerships. They have inherited a 350 year old heritage site & have developed a Vintage Toy Museum, a stewardship of a collection of more than 300 vintage toys (some of them are 350 years old), and they are a subject matter expert in Kreeda which uses traditional South Asian toys to promote learning and play.

Ria Aikat

Dance

Ria is a professional dancer and teacher. She has been teaching in the arts for over 10 years. Ria is a former artistic director and dancer for the non-profit dance organization Culture Shock Toronto where she performed internationally in Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington DC, and Las Vegas. She started in ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop and was later exposed to styles closer to her cultural roots including Bharatanatyam, Bollywood and Bhangra. She enjoys fusing her Indian style with urban dance.

Sheniz Janmohamed

Poetry, Visual Arts

Sheniz Janmohamed is an author, artist educator, spoken word artist and the Artistic Director of Sufi Poets Series. She facilitates creative writing
workshops and retreats for writers of all ages. She assists participants in finding their voices, channeling their creativity, and collaborating together to create unique and meaningful poems and performances.

Sumit Judge

Film

Sumit Judge is a filmmaker based in Brampton, Ontario. He had the privilege of participating in multiple film festivals across North America. His film won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the Sikh International Film Festival, as well as the Air Canada Award at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.

Tripti Ninan

Dance

Tripti founded Tricube Dance in 2008 and has seen the company grow from offering Zumba fitness classes to now leading, choreographing and performing as a professional Bollywood dance company. She brings over 20 years of dance experience and versatility with training in Bharatnatyam and Kathak (Classical Indian), Bollywood, Ballet, Hip Hop, Belly Dance, Salsa and Latin dance. Tripti has a talent for teaching Bollywood dance to everyone, from the inexperienced to the seasoned dancer providing excellent choreography in a fun and approachable manner.

Yashwanth Koppala

Dance

Founder of Reign Yash Dance Academy, Yashwanth Koppala is a Toronto based dancer & choreographer with 14 years of professional dance experience. He is trained in dance forms including Bollywood, hip-hop, semi classical, lyrical and contemporary. After moving to Canada, he successfully established himself as a dancer & choreographer, & launched his own dance academy within a short time. In the past 4 years, Yashwanth has performed in various events that took place in Ontario, especially the GTA.

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