Shelina Virani

🪔 About

Shelina Virani is a dedicated Kathak dancer, teacher, and artistic director with a significant presence in the Indian classical dance community in Canada. Her foundational training in Kathak took place in India, where she rigorously studied for five years under the tutelage of the revered Dr. Padmishri Roshan Kumari, a distinguished figure in the Kathak tradition. During this period, Virani not only honed her dance skills but also earned a teaching certificate from her guru, solidifying her credentials as an instructor. Beyond her dance education, she also pursued studies in filmmaking at St. Xavier's Institute of Communication in India. This diverse background led her to involvement in various productions, including choreographing dances for advertising films. A notable highlight of her early career was assisting her guru, Roshan Kumari, on film sets, where she contributed to the choreography for Gulzar's acclaimed film "Libaas" and personally assisted in teaching the dance sequences to the renowned actress Hema Malini. In January 1987, Shelina Virani co-founded the Kavital Dance School of Bharata Natyam and Kathak in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, in collaboration with Alka Goel-Stevens. At Kavital Dance School, she serves as the Kathak Teacher and Artistic Director, playing a pivotal role in preserving and promoting classical Indian dance forms. The school's mission, as articulated by its founders, is to share the beauty of Bharata Natyam and Kathak with students of all ages. While Virani has mentioned a period of approximately 30 years where she stepped away from active dance involvement, she has since expressed a strong desire to return to teaching and to impart her extensive knowledge and experience to new generations of dancers. Her commitment to her art form and her role in establishing a prominent dance institution underscore her enduring contribution to Indian classical dance.