Dancing since the age of 6, Minila has trained in the classical Indian dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Kathak in Toronto and India. Minila is passionate about dance and finds joy and freedom in expressing herself creatively through music and movement. Her Bharatanatyam training provided a sound foundation in not just rhythm and dance but grace, expressiveness and connectivity to Indian culture. She has twice travelled to India to further her training in classical dance.
For years Minila has used her strong base of classical dance experience to explore, choreograph, perform and teach a variety of dance styles including Bollywood and Bhangra.
Minila Shah was the Executive and Artistic Director of Bollywood Grooves (www.bollywoodgrooves.com) in London, UK. She was the lead instructor, taught weekly classes and courses, choreographed and managed the Bollywood Grooves professional dance troupe and taught private Bharatanatyam, Bollywood, Bhangra and Yoga classes. She also developed, trained and managed a team of 15 performers and instructors.
In 2005, Minila co-founded Sargam, a dance troupe specializing in Bhangra.
She has been choreographing and performing classical dance and Bollywood for over 15 years as a soloist and group artist.
Minila was responsible for the stylish routine, set to the composer A. R. Rahman’s Slumdog hit Jai Ho, which helped Hayley Tamaddon to win the Dancing on Ice crown this year. Watch the routine here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilXRAKkzQeo. She has also worked with the BBC and Sky One providing them with performances and choreography. Her enthusiasm combined with her dance expertise and teaching abilities are what make her so popular everywhere she goes.
Along side Minila’s dance journey, she has also travelled on another journey that has had a more inward focus. Minila was introduced to Yoga, Pranayam and Meditation at a very young age. She has been practicing Yoga regularly over the last 5 years. The physical, mental and spiritual benefits she received from the practice of Yoga was so profound that she was inspired to learn more. She wanted to deepen her understanding of Yoga and wanted to share the gift of Yoga with others. This set her on a journey to India in October 2008. She spent two months in two ashrams immersing herself in the knowledge and practice of traditional Hatha Yoga. She has received her Teachers Training certification from two renowned and established Yoga institutions and now teaches Yoga in addition to dance.
Training
Bharatanatyam
Toronto, Canada (1987 to 1999)
• Studied Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Dr. Menaka Thakkar founder of Nrtyakala, the Canadian Academy of Indian Dance
• Completed Junior Arangetram in 1995 in Toronto, Canada
Ahmedabad, India (2003-2004)
• Completed Arangetram in 2004 in Ahmedabad, India under the guidance of Ruchaben Bhatt, student of Elakshiben Takhore founder of Nritya Bharati Performing Arts Society
Kathak
Bhavnagar, India (2009)
• Intensive training with Dharamsi Bhai Shah founder of Kalakshetra Dance Academy
Additional
Yoga instructor - completed yoga teachers training in India in 2008
Training in hip-hop, flamenco, salsa and ballet