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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.

Devanshi Mishra

Dance

Devanshi Mishra is a dancer, choreographer and arts administrator. Awarded the National Scholarship for Dance by the Govt. of India and a BA in Dance from USA, Devanshi teaches, performs and choreographs in Kathak, Bollywood and Indian-Contemporary

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.

Khaula Mazhar

Visual Arts

Self-taught, award-winning artist Khaula Mazhar’s intrigue with emotions evoked by situations and surroundings seeps its way into her multifaceted subject matter. Inspired by Rumi’s quotes, her fascination with the world and our connections within it is the main theme of her smaller artwork while her passion for nature conservation can be seen in her outdoor murals throughout the GTA. A true believer that art is good for you she is actively involved in art activities that engage the community. Follow her art adventures on Instagram @khaulamazhar

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.

Tejal Bhatt

Dance

Tejal has trained in Bharatanatyam for over 8 years, and has performed professionally on many notable platforms for over 10 years. Her passion for dance stemmed from the moment she could walk, she would move to any music she heard. She has completed her Diploma in Bharatanatyam from the Natyalamandram Institute of the Kalakshetra Foundation at the age of 14. Tejal is also skilled in Bollywood and Fusion dancing and has competed and placed in many competitions around North America.

Bharathanatyam is the oldest classical dance of India. It is believed to be almost 2,000 years old when Lord Brahma passed down the dance form to the sage Bharat. Bharatha decribed the fundamentals of the art as Bha–Bhava or expression, Ra– raga or melody and Tha– thala or rhythm . The dance itself is divided in:
Nritta: rhythmic movements of pure aesthetic value.
Nritya: movements in which facial expressions of emotions, and Mudras, or hand gestures are emphasized Natya: combination of dance with a dramatic aspect

Tejal’s dance classes will include a detailed description of Bharatnatyam and its history, as well as the importance of the specific dance pieces that will be taught. The class will emphasize on adding grace to your movements, and using your face and upper body to express various emotions.

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.

Bolly Graphic for Art Never Goes out of Style

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