MEET THE GIDF ARTISTS
More teachers will be announced soon!
VAISHALI SAGAR
Indian Folk & Folk Fusion
Indian Folk & Folk Fusion
Vaishali Sagar, hailing from Mumbai, India, is a distinguished figure in the world of dance. She holds a master’s degree in Indian Folk Dance, earned under the tutelage of Guru Rooma Banerjee. Currently, she serves as the director of Kalanjay Dance Academy in Mumbai, a prestigious institution with an enrollment of 900 students and an alumni network of over 5000.
Vaishali is an expert in traditional Indian folk dances and Bollywood dance styles, imparting her knowledge and passion to her students.
Vaishali has also represented India in various international folk dance festivals based in Italy, Austria, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, South Korea, Poland, Belgium just to name a few.
SHAMPA GOPIKRISHNA
Lavani & Mujra
Lavani & Mujra
Shampa Gopikrishna, hailing from Mumbai, India, is a celebrated choreographer and the daughter of the late Natraj Shri Gopikrishna, a legendary Kathak exponent. She embarked on her dance journey at age 4, mastering Indian classical dance forms under her father’s guidance and other esteemed gurus. Later, she embraced western dance styles, honing her skills at the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company (TLCDC) in Mumbai.
Shampa’s choreographic prowess spans across theatre, film, and TV. She has choreographed for musicals like “Monsoon Wedding” and “Disney’s Aladdin”, and films such as “Padmaavat” and “Ram Leela”. Her work on the dance show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” earned her two victories, a unique achievement.
In addition to her choreography, Shampa is passionate about teaching dance. She conducts workshops in various dance styles around the world, sharing her love for dance with others.
LAVESH PRITMANI
Bhangra & Jhoomar
Bhangra & Jhoomar
Lavesh Pritmani is a seasoned Bhangra teacher and performer, having introduced Bhangra to over 300 students at Natya Academy in North Carolina, USA, starting in 2006. He founded and led numerous competitive Bhangra teams, including Gabroo Alliance and Gajjde Gabroo, and has won multiple competitions across North America. Lavesh also created the Learn Bhangra app, which reached over 100K downloads and continues to grow with a strong social media presence.
An international Bhangra ambassador, Lavesh has taught workshops in over 20 countries, including Mexico, Beijing, NYC, Singapore, and Argentina. He has appeared on TV with "Learn Bhangra with Lavesh" and performed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Additionally, he teaches at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC and judges Bhangra competitions worldwide. His teachings are influenced by Ustaad Janak Raj Ji and Dr. Gurinderbir "Pearl" Chahal, emphasizing discipline, confidence, and respect.
AAKANSHA MAHESHWARI
Kalbeliya & Semi-classical (Bharatanatyam)
Kalbeliya & Semi-classical (Bharatanatyam)
Born and raised in Delhi, Aakansha Maheshwari spent over a decade training in Indian classical Bharatanatyam under Padmashree Geeta Chandran and has performed across India.
In 2013, after dancing in a Hollywood feature film, Vara- a blessing, Aakansha Maheshwari moved to Los Angeles and started BollyPop to make Indian dance more approachable. Her deep understanding of Indian dance and culture has led to her being invited to conduct Diwali workshops at renowned companies like Google, Warner Bros, JPL, and Snap. Aakansha and her team of instructors teach Indian dance at various schools and universities and they go on tours for the Festival of Colors to cities across America and Canada.
In 2020, Aakansha co-founded Kalbeliya World, an online dance platform designed to support folk artists from Rajasthan. She spends time with the Kalbeliya community in different parts of Rajasthan every year. This will be Aakansha’s first time bringing Rajasthani dance to Europe
SWAPNIL DAGLIYA
Garba & Semi-classical
Garba & Semi-classical
Swapnil Dagliya, originally from Pune, India, is an IT engineer by education. He has graduated in contemporary dance and Ballet from the Broadway Dance Center in New York City and Opus Ballet in Florence, Italy.
In 2008, he founded his own dance school, SPACE (Swapnil’s Performing Arts & Contemporary Ensemble), which he managed for ten years. During this period, he also served as the director and curator of AVAYAVA, a contemporary dance festival in India. His teaching experience extends to two universities in India, namely Lalit Kala Kendra at the University of Pune and Flame University.
Swapnil holds a diploma in Indian folk dance and has been teaching Bhangra, Garba, and other Indian dance forms. Currently, he serves as the artistic director of Shoonya Dance Centre and an Indian dance company in Ghent, Belgium, named “ABC a Bollywood Company”.