What would happen if Bollywood were in Toronto? Find out on October 7! Subscribe to my channel for my biggest video release yet!
Choreographing for Salim Sulaiman Live in Toronto!
I got to meet the awesome DiverseCity dance team when I judged at the Canadian Ismaili Games in Calgary. They got the amazing opportunity to perform at halftime for the Salim Sulaiman show live in Toronto, and asked me to choreograph their set! They're a team of such hardworking, young budding talents and KILLED my choreo. Congrats again guys and thanks for having me!
Learn my choreography to Lovely from Happy New Year!
Here's a little tutorial to Lovely from Happy New Year, and yes, guys can do it too :) Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly videos!
Schulich Funk!
Schulich Funk is here and has got me feeling all nostalgic! I got to work on and play lead in this awesome video for the Schulich School of Business (where I just completed my MBA degree). There are so many amazing things about the Schulich MBA - the best being the incredibly gifted and talented people I got to spend every day with. Thank you to Kareem Sami (the brains behind Schulich Funk) for asking me to play lead in this and all the faculty, staff, students, and MBA games team who starred in it! Enjoy!
Video from my back to back classes in Calgary!
Check it out below! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel on Youtube :)
If you're interested in bringing my master class series to your city, message me here and let's dance!
My most requested choreography video!
The requests have been pouring in on my YouTube channel for this song, so I got together with one of my favourite Bollywood dancers, Pratik Marathe, to create this!
Thank you to Soul Feet Dance Productions for letting me use the studio after my classes there to shoot this :)
Dance and tutorial videos below!
The Bollywood Master Class Series travelled to Calgary!
Over the weekend I travelled all the way to Calgary, Alberta to teach two SOLD OUT Bollywood master classes (pictured is class 1/2). It was so refreshing to see so many dancers that were so eager and enthusiastic to learn. A huge 'thank you' to Soul Feet Dance Productions for having me, and for being so easy and amazing to work with! Can't wait for more classes in Calgary soon! You can check out SFDP and all the cool stuff they do here.
It was LOVELY dancing with all of you ;) Stay tuned for the video!
My latest master class video - Imaginary by Imran Khan
I think this was the hardest choreography I've taught yet - but that's what a master class is for! Shout outs to all these amazing people who came out, gave themselves a challenge, and got out of their comfort zone. You all inspire me and motivate me to keep going.
Enjoy the video and don't forget to subscribe to dancewithSL!
Learn the Selfie Le Le Re dance!
The much requested tutorial video to my master class is finally here! Now you can take my class in the comfort of your own home :) Like, comment, subscribe, and enjoy!
I'm going back to Calgary!
My Calgary/Edmonton dancers! I'll be returning to Calgary after judging the CAIG 2015 Dance Competition - this time to teach a master class! The class is hosted by Soul Feet Dance Productions on Saturday, August 29. There are two sessions - 10:30am and 12pm (which I believe is already sold out). Email soulfeetdance@hotmail.com to reserve your spot! Can't wait to dance with you Cowtown :)
Update: Both classes SOLD OUT in just a few days! Thanks so much - I'm so excited to dance with you all! :):)
My very own Bollyshake Banner!
I now have my very own banner on the Bollyshake homepage! Watch this space for lots of exciting new projects this month :) Thank you Bollyshake!
CAIG Dance Competition Rundown!
Over the weekend I had the privilege of judging the 2015 Canadian Ismaili Games Dance Competition. What's amazing and unique about CAIG’s (and last year's NAIG’s) dance competition is that groups and solo/duet acts compete up to THREE different times! I love this because it allows dancers to showcase their range in movement and genres of dance, as well as different artistic pieces. We as judges get to really know and understand the dancers over the course of such an intense competition.
I love judging these shows because I get the best seats in the house to watch our community’s most talented dancers on stage making me experience so many emotions – I was dancing in my seat one minute and crying the next (thanks a lot Umair).
To the organizing committee (Amyna & team): Thank you so much for having me judge this competition again! Thank you for your ever-so-gracious hospitality and for allowing me to give my two cents in the preparation process. I really enjoyed working with you on this. Congratulations on the HUGE success!
To my fellow judges, Scheherazaad & Joey: I had the best time judging with you two. I learned so much from the both of you over the past couple of days and appreciate how incredibly in sync we were all the time!
To the dancers: You all blew me away with your talent every day in this competition. I’m so happy that dance is really being developed and showcased in our community like this. Never stop dancing and remember I’m always a message away should you need any advice or even just someone to bounce your creative ideas off of. I sincerely hope I get to work with you in the future.
Until next year ;)
I'm judging dance at the Canadian Ismaili Games 2015!
I'm happy to announce that I'll be judging the Canadian Ismaili Games (CAIG) dance competition in Calgary! The show will take place over July 31 - August 2, 2015 with over 10 teams competing.
I judged the North American Ismaili Games (NAIG) in Chicago last year, and the teams put on an awesome show, so check it out if you're in the Calgary area :)
I'm Bollyshake's Dancer of the Week!
Thank you so much to Bollyshake for featuring me as their dancer of the week! Bollyshake is a really unique platform that I stumbled upon amidst a search for Bollywood dances online. It serves as a way to bring all types of Indian dance under one roof through video sharing. I wish something like this was around when I was growing up/training as a dancer because it provides a way for both professional and non-professional dancers to share their choreography and creative ideas with a community that values and loves Bollywood dance. If you haven't already, check them out/sign-up at www.bollyshake.com and check out my account at www.bollyshake.com/users/shereenladha. Can't wait to collaborate more with this awesome team!
Tum Hi Ho Choreography
I originally did this choreography for a gig, but my dancers were feeling it so much that we decided to film it nicely. Thanks to all these talented dancers and my videographer Safira Halani for once again making all my creative thoughts come to life.
Like, comment, subscribe, and enjoy! :)
New Master Class Video!
I held a Bollywood Master Class in Toronto yesterday afternoon! I'm so blessed to be able to work with such talented dancers. Check it out the video (shot & edited by Safira Halani) below!
Thanks to The Underground Dance Centre for having me!
Sign up for the next class here.
I performed at the Pan Am Games 2015 Opening Ceremonies!
What an unreal experience performing for the Pan Am Games 2015 opening ceremonies! I had the opportunity to dance and choreograph a bit of our little Bollywood section in the Pow Wow Carnival scene and after months of rehearsal, we finally performed in front of a full house at the Rogers Centre and the world! I feel so lucky to have been part of the Cirque du Soleil family and the Pow Wow dancers - such an amazing group who put their hearts into this scene to make it the spectacle it was. Pictures below!
New choreography video: Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan
My latest choreography video is finally here! I had so much fun choreographing this and dancing with the beautiful and talented Krystal Kiran (@krystalkiran). We met on set of The Love Guru in 2008 and I can't believe it's taken us this long to do something together!
The video was shot and edited by Safira Halani (@safirahalani) who, over the last few months, has quickly become my good friend and someone I can share all my creative ideas with - she just makes them come to life.
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube and as always, stay tuned for more :)
UPDATE: Vote for this video on Bollyshake's July contest here
The Aattam 2015 rundown from your Fusion Judge!
Last weekend I got the opportunity to judge the Aattam 2015 dance competition! Thanks to the Aattam team for having me, and congratulations to all the teams for putting on an amazing show.
I've been asked for a breakdown by a few teams so I'll tell you what I looked for in particular: The Fusion style was broken down into different categories - the most significant contributors to overall score being choreography and coordination. For the Fusion section, I looked for the basics in technique, but what really stood out to me was unique choreography and dancers that really FELT the choreography in execution.
As an ending note, I have to give a special shout out to the UTSC Assassinz for winning best fusion!
Pan Am Games 2015 Opening Ceremonies
So excited to be part of the opening ceremonies for the 2015 Pan Am games in Toronto! Check out a sneak peek of the show below, and stay tuned for more!