SHRUTI ABHISHEK
Dancer |Choreographer |Curator
Shruti Abhishek is an Indian dancer, choreographer, and teacher practicing Bharatanatyam. Through her continued practice and study, Shruti continues learning the multiple layers that inhabit Bharatanatyam. A dance form from the south of India, Bharatanatyam is an appropriated art form that was traditionally practiced by the courtesan/hereditary community.
In addition to her own company and solo performances, Shruti is a Principal Dancer, Creative Coach, and Rehearsal Director at Nava Dance Theatre, founded by Nadhi Thekkek.
Shruti Abhishek co-curates two festivals: Varnam Salon (supported by the California Arts Council Local Impact Grant), which is a series of performances by California-based senior art practitioners, mid-career artists, and upcoming dancers, and When Eyes Speak.
Shruti began her training with her first teacher Rohini.M. Singhi in Mumbai and continued to get her performing arts degree from Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya. She has a Political Science and Philosophy major from Jai-Hind College in Mumbai. She currently trains under Vaibhav Arekar from Mumbai. Shruti was a part of many of Sankhya Dance Company's dance productions and tours directed by Vaibhav Arekar.
When not dancing, Shruti loves to read, watch TV, daydream, and stare into space while drinking chai. She enjoys singing when no one is listening and doodling endlessly. A true Malayalee-Mumbaikar at heart, she loves her ‘chaaya’ (chai), vada-pav, monsoons, and in her own words, the city’s ‘romantic bustle’.