https://www.longbeach.gov/library/news/aapihm-2025
We are looking for an actor/dancer of South Asian descent to perform in Indian Mythology and Me! APPLY HERE before May 10!
Danish Bhandara is a professional dancer, actress, choreographer & dance teacher. She has over 12 yrs of training in Kathak (a Classical Indian dance form), Bollywood dance, & Raqs Sharqi (Belly dance). In 2017 she graduated from UCLA with a BA in World Arts & Cultures- emphasis in Dance. Danish has performed at Disney CA Adventures & Disney Animal Kingdom with Blue 13 Dance Company for which she has also been dance captain. Some of her other notable work include dancing LIVE on KTLA 5’s Morning News, A.R Rahman’s Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, pop stars’ Latto & Anne Marie’s music video I Just Called , the launch of Netflix series: We Speak Dance, and choreographing for the play West Bollywood written by Aruna Harjani, directed by Kiff Scholl . As a South Asian performing artist & educator Danish cares deeply about authentic representation, equity, & increasing access to multicultural arts education. She hopes to continue to help these causes through her work.
Ishika Muchhal is an LA-based Indian American storyteller and artist. With a BFA in Acting from CalArts and over 19 years of training in many styles of singing and dancing, she strives to create art through a decolonial, intersectional, and mixed-media lens. A strong advocate for authentic, multi-dimensional representation, she received the California Arts Council ‘Individual Artist Fellow’ grant for her interview series A QISSAA with Ishika: Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists. Alongside performing, Ishika works in numerous capacities across arts administration, political organizing, fundraising and advocacy, and community engagement and is a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow. Ishika also loves to travel, create collage art, write, and make eggcelent puns that will surely crack you up. Recent credits: Tiny Little Town (Theatre Movement Bazaar), Silent Hill: Ascension (VO), Seven Hoshi (CalArts), Something in the Air (Hudson), The Fig and the Wasp (CalArts), Dear Mother Moon (Edinburgh Fringe), and The Pomegranate Tree (Chapman Dodge). http://www.ishikamuchhal.com/
Summer is a great time to catch the Dancing Storytellers performing and we have several free events to choose from:
In both pictures, Danish is on the left and Gurmukhi is on the right
Danish teaching her new Bollywood lesson: Dancing in the Rain!
A fun Instagram reel of Gurmukhi teaching kids Bhangra and Bharatanatyam in the Santa Ana school district: Gurmukhi teaching
A student letter to Danish after her teaching which says “Dear Dancing Story tellers, thankyou for spending your time with us! I really enjoyed how we made up our own dance! I can’t believe that dancing can be actually telling a story! You inspired me to dance and tell stories! Thank you again Story tellers! And there is an image of a girl with a peace sign in her fingers saying “Dancing Storytellers Rock!”
Some highlights of the show were the addition of the incredible musician and composer Neelamjit Dhillon and the well versed American Sign Language interpreter, Zelda Alpert-Torres.
Dancing Storytellers Sheetal Gandhi and Shyamala Moorty with guest musician Neelamjit Dhillon
And we will always remember this wonderfully engaged audience who loved participating so much that when Sheetal called for 3 volunteers, we ended up with a whole stage full of kids pretending to be mice!
Thank you to Skirball Cultural Center for inviting us to perform and hosting us so graciously.
The Dancing Storytellers, have been touring this show to schools, libraries, museums and theaters all over Southern California for 10 years! Now the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts did a beautiful taping of it and it is available for booking through the Center, contact ArtsTeach@SCFTA.org. Get a taste in the teaser below!
https://share.scfta.org/watch/j8bhdLFb1SzYrpKX4gjio3
Indian Mythology and Me was created by Sheetal Gandhi, Shyamala Moorty and Ulka Simone Mohanty
Join us for interactive virtual show live May 20, 4-5pm, through the LA County Library
Information: http://lacountylibrary.org/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/
Free Registration: http://colapl.wufoo.com/forms/zypzv5p0sc9wl6/
During shelter-in-place life, we are missing all the real life interactions with kids, their laughter, surprise, and fun facial expressions. Until we can be back on stage, we hope you enjoy the little opportunities below to engage with us on-line. Please share with kids, families, schools, friends, grandparents…anyone that will enjoy a bit of dance, storytelling, and South Asian culture!
10am, May 27, 2020
Register HERE
Join the showcase and see the Dancing Storytellers, our sister group the AMAN Dance Educators and so many more incredible artists.
If you prefer to watch at your own leisure, we also created a short video that teaches some fun hand gestures and includes an excerpt of our assembly show, Indian Mythology and Me, made for the Music Center’s Artivities.
And just remember,
“no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from,
we wish peace to everyone!” – Indian Mythology and Me
Our popular show Indian Mythogy and Me will be performed by Ulka Simone Mohanty and Shyamala Moorty. Interactive fun for the whole family, we hope to see you there! Santa Fe Springs is just North of Long Beach and South of Whittier.
