Shyamala Moorty

🪔 About

Shyamala Moorty is an accomplished director, choreographer, performer, dramaturg, and educator whose interdisciplinary work integrates contemporary Indian and Western dance, theater, multimedia, film, yoga, and community engagement. She holds an MFA in Dance from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures. Moorty's training encompasses diverse dance forms, including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, modern dance, Polynesian dance, ballet, and post-modern dance. Throughout her career, Moorty has performed and toured her work across the U.S., Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, and the U.K. She is a founding member of the Post Natyam Collective, a transnational group of dance artists, and the Dancing Storytellers, which specializes in innovative performances of South Asian stories, dance, and music for youth and families. The Dancing Storytellers' show "Indian Mythology and Me" has toured extensively across Southern California for over a decade. As an educator, Shyamala Moorty has taught choreography, dance theory, yoga, pilates, and dance at various colleges and universities, including California State University Long Beach, where she is currently a lecturer. She has also designed curriculum for organizations such as the Aman Dance Educators and the Segerstrom School of Music and Dance for Children with Disabilities. Moorty ventured into filmmaking during the pandemic, directing award-winning short films. Awards & Honours: Best Narrative Dance Award, Short Film Critics Choice Award, Free Speech Award, Women's Film Award, Debut Filmmaker Outstanding Achievement Award, Best Short Film (2023), Excellence in Directing Award (2024), Excellence in Cinematography Award (2024), Finalist (2024), Honorable Mention, First-Time Filmmaker (2024), Nominee Best Director, Best Singer, Best Lyricist, Music Video Category (2025).