India Shanti

Performing Art – Chicago

India Shanti began her dance training at age eight in Chicago, IL. She studied ballet for three years before incorporating the jazz technique into her training. She then joined After School Matters Dance Ensemble throughout all four years of high school, where she continued to perfect her dance styles and began learning modern dance technique. The teen company would perform a multitude of dance shows around the city. Upon junior and senior year, India enrolled in the Advanced Arts Education Program through Chicago Public Schools for two years, which was instructed by Pierre Lockett and Linda Swayze of Joffrey Ballet. After high school graduation, she moved on to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s dance department as a dance major and was selected to be a member of University Dance Company, led by Kristin Bests of Big Muddy Dance Co. The company performed their repertoire at many campus based events as well as dance festivals in St. Louis, MO. In addition to company performances, she participated in the department’s annual dance concerts, Dance In Concert and Student Dance Concert, for three years. During her time at SIUe she was also a member of campus dance team, High Definition, for two years to improve her hip hop dance technique. Upon her return to Chicago, she was offered the opportunity to train in Bharatanatyam and Bollywood by Kalapriya Center of Indian Performing Arts to teach classes in Chicago Public Schools. She is currently performing repertoire with Kalapriya this summer.