Shivani is an MA Representative and Graduate Assistant for the NYU Performance Studies department. She also has worked for several non-profits and universities to create an inclusive and welcoming environment, teaching Leadership and Self-Development through workshops, conferences, and one-on-one coaching sessions. Shivani has been researching the Devadasi community for several years, and her thesis regarding the psychological agency won the Originality Prize in Memory of Paul Jeffrey Kusyszyn at York University. Shivani has been trained in Bharatnatyam at the Shivanjali Dance Academy. She also performs throughout Ontario for various dance academies and South-Asian dance companies. She also performs various Indian folk dance styles in addition to her Bharatnatyam repertoire.

Areas of concentration/study:

Indigenous Studies, Colonialism in India, Dance, Bharatnatyam, Feminist Studies

BA Capstone Project: 

Devadasi as Independent Agent

Why PS @ NYU?

Shivani is a Master's student at the NYU Tisch School of Arts. She has been exploring how Indian classical dance has developed over time, and continues to pursue scholarly work in this area. She researches the effects of British Colonialism on Indian culture and South-Asian art  in the diaspora. She wants to push the limits of academia and performance at NYU Performance Studies!

MA Assistant Event Credits: 

PRACTICE WITH/IN/ DURING A PANDEMIC: RE-IMAGINING ART IN ISOLATION

MAD CLOT ON A HOLY BONE: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN ASHER HARTMAN AND CHIRON ARMAND