In this powerful short talk, Shyamla, the founder and director of progressive South Asian performing arts company BINDI BOSSES, explains how they use dance and art to challenge traditional norms and preconceptions and for self-healing. In their words, “we do not pander to what people outside (or inside) our cultures expect to see. Instead, we are redefining what that looks like on our own terms, beyond the stereotype of Bollywood.”
Shyamla (they/them) is a Performing Artist, Choreographer, Educator and Writer with a Masters Degree in International Human Rights Law & Policy and three decades of dance experience. They specialise in cultural dance (Hip Hop, Bollywood, Brazilian Samba and Traditional Indian) and have trained and/or performed each style in its country of origin. Shyamla is the Founder and Director of BINDI BOSSES and has taught at renowned studios throughout Australia and abroad (Sydney Dance Company, Ettingshausens and Dance Attic (UK). They practice Classical Indian dance (Kuchipudi) with Guru Shri Raghavan Nair and regularly travels to India for training and to further their cultural knowledge.