Photo by: Shay Peretz

Parijat Desai, Choreographer/Artistic Director
In 1999, the Los Angeles Times welcomed Parijat Desai to the local dance scene calling her “a major talent who bears watching…offering clean, crisp, rhythmic attacks…a powerhouse.” Desai formed Parijat Desai Dance Company in 2000. The New York Times described her work as “seamless blending of the new and old.”

In Los Angeles, Desai has been presented by the Getty Center, Skirball Cultural Center, Highways Performance Space, and California Plaza. Since relocating to New York, PDDC has been presented in New York by P.S. 122, Danspace Project, La MaMa Theatre, and Queens Museum of Art. Festivals that have showcased Desai’s work include the Bangalore Biennial and The Other Festival (India); Artwallah (Los Angeles); and Desh Pardesh (Toronto). Through performance at events by South Asian Network (Los Angeles) and EKTA (Bay Area), Desai has helped raise funds for immigrant services, earthquake relief, and victims of communal violence.

Desai has been a recipient of various awards including the Urban Artists' Initiative, Asian American Arts Alliance SOAR grant, Durfee Foundation's Artist Fellowship, and Lester Horton Dance Award for Individual Performance. Desai has performed for David Roussève (Love Songs, 2000; Rose Colored Glasses, 2002; Bittersweet, 2005); collaborated with Lynn Dally (Jazz Tap Ensemble) in “Rhythm-a-ning,” (2001); and apprenticed with the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company in London (1998). In 2006, Desai developed choreography for Migritude, written by Kenyan Indian poet Shailja Patel and commissioned by the National Performance Network.

Desai is currently teaching at Queens College and at A.P. Randolph High School in Harlem, NY, and has also taught at Mark Morris Dance Center and at Brooklyn Friends School. She was a teaching artist in residence at Stanford University through the Institute for Diversity in the Arts and the Dance Department (2009), and taught intercultural choreography at UCLA (2005).

Photo by: Lalitha Venkat

Aditi Dhruv, Dancer
Aditi Dhruv is a contemporary and Indian classical dancer in New York City. She received bharata natyam training from Padmini Chari and Rathna Kumar in Houston, Texas as well as from Padmashree Kalaimamani Adyar K. Lakshman and V.P. and Shanta Dhananjayan in Chennai, India. She has also studied Odissi with Jhelum Paranjape in Mumbai, India. Dhruv has performed with Parijat Desai since 1998. In 1999, she studied briefly with pioneer choreographer Chandralekha. Dhruv was also a founding member of Ananya Chatterjea's company Women in Motion and has performed with them in the US, Canada and India. Aditi has worked with New York-based choreographers Rajika Puri, Myna Mukherjee (Nayikas Dance Theater Company), Sridhar Shanmugham, Nia Love (Blacksmith's Daughter), Emily Bunning (Treehouse Shakers) and Preeti Vasudevan (Thresh Dance Company). Aditi is also an avid student of yoga.

Kiley Durst, Dancer
Kiley Durst is originally from New Castle, PA. She graduated from Slippery Rock University with a BA in dance, where she performed in works by Art Bridgman, Myrna Packer, and Anna Sokolow. She also had the opportunity to study Bharatanatyam for 6 weeks in Chennai with Revathi Ramachandran. Since moving to New York, she has worked with ACFDance and performed at the Beacon Theatre in the Turkish musical Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyasi, directed by Gulcin Hatihan and choreographed by Korhan Basaran. Kiley began working with Parijat Desai in the summer of 2009. She is also currently dancing with Ariel Rivka Dance and York Dance Works.
 

 
 

Belinda He, Dancer
Belinda He grew up in Singapore before she came to the US with the assistance of the National Arts Council of Singapore, and graduated with an MFA in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied with Sara Rudner, Emily Devine, Barbara Forbes, Keith Sabado, Vicky Shick, Dan Hurlin, Neil Greenberg, Yasuko Yokoshi and Peggy Gould. She has performed Twyla Tharp's 'The Fugue' and Vicky Shick's reconstruction of Trisha Brown's 'Line-Up'. Belinda has performed Sara Rudner's choreography at La MaMa, and also performed 'Chautauqua!', a theater piece presented by the National Theater of the United States of America at P.S. 122, directed by Yehuda Duenyas with choreography by Faye Driscoll. Belinda has trained in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and salsa. She teaches creative movement, modern dance, and hip hop, at Brooklyn Arts Exchange. She is currently studying the Feldenkrais Method at the Feldenkrais Institute in New York City. In addition to dancing with Parijat Desai Dance Company which she joined in February 2010, Belinda is the founder and Artistic Director of SINecdoche Dance.
 

Photo by: Keerthik Sasidharan

Carly Fox, Apprentice
Carly Fox grew up in Missouri City, TX where her love for the performing arts was cultivated. She began college at Texas Christian University as a Modern Dance major, then graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kansas with a B.F.A. in Dance. While in school she performed works by Jerel Hilding (Joffrey Ballet), William Whitener (KC Ballet), Elizabeth Gillaspy, Patrick Suzeau, and many others. Her professional work began during college performing with the Cohen/Suzeau Modern Dance Company and in regional productions of Oklahoma, Seven Brides…, and Texas!. Carly choreographed the movie musical Air, the film Bunker Hill (which recently premiered in New York City), along with regional productions of Annie, Joseph…, and Pippin. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, she was flown to Japan to dance in a music video with pop star Namie Amuro. She also danced in Prom Night, State of Mind (choreographed by JoAnn Jansen), Night at the Museum II (CGI directed by Josh McLaglen, Avatar) and is a proud member of the Screen Actor’s Guild. She performed for Carnival Cruise Lines, Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble with choreographer Kobi Rozenfeld (SYTYCD Israel, Beyonce tour), and in a production of 42nd Street choreographed by DJ Gray (Xanadu, …Spelling Bee). Carly recently moved to New York City where she has performed work by Barbie Diewald/&C. Dance Projects, and will be performing in two Modern dance works for the Intercultural Arts Dialogue Festival. She is also thrilled to be working with Parijat Desai Dance Company!

Photo by: Keerthik Sasidharan

Mohan Kulasingam, Dancer
Mohan Kulasingam received his initial training in bharata natyam and subsequently studied modern dance. While attending the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Kulasingam performed with Indrani Rehman, Kun Yang Lin, Mary Ford, Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, and InDance, Toronto. Mohan has taught the fundamentals of Anthony technique at The Mary Anthony Dance Theatre. Also, his work Goddess was showcased at The Florida Dance Education Organization. He has been working with Parijat Desai since 2005. Mohan works as an exercise specialist and works at the Dept. of Psychiatry at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

Photo by: Keerthik Sasidharan

Cori Marquis, Apprentice
Cori Marquis moved to New York after graduating with a BA in Psychology and Performing Arts from Stanford University in 2008. She began her training in modern, ballet, jazz and hip hop in high school in her hometown of Mesa, Arizona, and continued under the tutelage of Diane Frank, Aleta Hayes, Janice Garrett, and at the Ailey School. In addition to performing extensively at Stanford in both theater and dance, she also choreographed a number of shows, including The Wild Party, Hair, and an original work, with(out). Professionally, Cori has had the pleasure of dancing with Hope Mohr, Liz Gerring, Kelley Donovan, Stephanie Liapis, Terri and Oliver Steele and Anabella Lenzu. Cori’s own work has been presented in New York by the Loft, WAX, Movement Research, and at the Dance Complex in Boston. She was thrilled to join Parijat Desai Dance Company in February 2010!

Photo by: Lalitha Venkat

Riyo Mito, Dancer
Riyo Mito was born in Japan. She began training in classical ballet at an early age and started modern dance in 2001. She also studied drama, rhythmic gymnastics, and traditional Japanese arts (Nichibu and Nou-Kyogen) at Takarazuka-kita High School in Japan. At the Alvin Ailey School, Riyo trained in Horton, Graham, and Dunham techniques, as well as ballet and jazz. She performed for the Ailey School at the American Museum of Natural History (NYC), in a tribute to Katherine Dunham choreographed by Joan Peters. Riyo began working with the Parijat Desai Dance Company in 2006. She is also working with Yuko Hamada in the Panorama Asian Dance Project.


Shobana Ram, Vocalist/Dancer
Shobana Ram received her initial bharata natyam training from Padma Bhushan Kamala Narayan, and continues her training under guru Smt. Rhadha of Madras. In addition to solo recitals in New York and Madras, Ram has performed in Smt. Rhadha's productions of Shiva Shakti (North American tour), and Jaya Jaya Gokula Bala. Shobana danced with choreographers Ananya Chatterjea (A Wife's Letter) and Rajika Puri (Bharata Natyam Variations). She also performed at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival in a presentation of the dance compositions by violin maestro, Padma Bhushan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. In December 2004, she performed with Parijat Desai and Dancers in The Other Festival, Chennai. Most recently, Ram has been awarded a 2005-2006 Individual Artist Grant by the Indiana Arts Commission, toward advanced training and performance. Ram has an M.A. in International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and is an arts educator, offering dance and storytelling workshops in schools in the Indiana area. Shobana is also a student of Carnatic vocal music.


Sanjay Cherubala, Mridangam/Percussion


Sameer Gupta, Tabla/Drumset


Arun Ramamurthy, Violin