Rang Mahal: A Tribute to the Art of Mujra

On November 15, 2024 I’ll be premiering a new show I produced with Nishat Khair!

Rang Mahal is a tribute to the artistry of the Mughal period, transporting audiences to an era of opulent courts and poetic expressions. This mesmerizing immersive show blends the sounds and rhythms of thumris and Hindustani classical music with the intricate and expressive movements of Kathak dance.

Join us for an unforgettable journey through the melodies and movements that exist in the soul of South Asian art, and experience the magic of mujra like never before.

Tickets here

GODSPEED. A dance film & visuals.

Hello my #dancewithSL fam! It's been awhile but I'm back with a piece that's a little different & deeply personal. Remixing my foundations in Kathak with Contemporary movement to create a piece about lost love. Like, comment, subscribe & enjoy :) xo SL

Videography: GothamTO & Ken Pham

Visuals: Connie Oreamuno

Dancers: Disha Panchal Akriti Saini Amrita Singh Hana Rashid Sarah Kabani Hanaa Ismail Nureen Ismail Amal Rashid

Produced by Studio AM & Anil Mohabir

Ek Dil Ek Jaan Dance Cover

Hello my #dancewithSL fam! My Youtube channel has slowly transitioned from being heavy on Bollywood/Hip Hop fusion to me reconnecting with my foundations in Kathak. I've been experimenting with the style, deconstructing it, adding a little bit of my contemporary training into it, and forming what I call 'Kathak Contemporary.' Hope you guys are enjoying it and staying with me on my dance journey! Leave requests for me in the comments and as always, like, comment, SUBSCRIBE, and enjoy :) xo SL

Videography: GothamTO http://instagram.com/GothamTO

My outfit: Custom from Chandan Fashions

Apple releases Bollywood Dance on watchOS7 and you may see a familiar face in it!

Today's Apple WWDC revealed the latest addition to watchOS - they're adding DANCE…they're adding BOLLYWOOD DANCE…and I get to be the face of it for a little while!

I am absolutely GAGGED to be part of the Apple fam. I remember watching the original iPod commercials with the neon colours and silhouette dancers and it just feels really cool to be showcasing this style through such an iconic brand.

This clip is from LUV LETTER on my channel feat @dancemasala @dreachoreo @elenadj28 shot by @arifsuaini

FREE Online Bollywood Dance Classes with me!

Hello world! I’ve decided to conduct FREE online intro classes for everyone staying in and trying to help this situation. Let's all dance together from our living rooms for a lil feel good moment.

DATES:

TUESDAY MARCH 17 5PM EST

THURSDAY MARCH 19 6PM EST

FRIDAY MARCH 20 12PM EST



I finally got my silver plaque for 100K YouTube subscribers!

This is a year late but still feels really freaking cool. YouTube wasn't supposed to be a THING for me. It was supposed to be the way I was going to show the world my work and an outlet for all the crazy ideas that hadn't left my brain until then. Instead it became a place of inspiration and community. So thank you to my #dancewithsl fam. Thank you, you crazy kids, for watching my videos, for coming to my classes, for sending me your sweet words of encouragement, and supporting every step of my journey. Love y'all.

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Getting Canada ready for the SuperBowl half-time show with Breakfast Television!

On Friday morning, the #dancewithSL team stopped by Breakfast Television Toronto to get the hosts & Canada ready for the SuperBowl half-time show!
Thank you to my dancers Shaila Premji and Sofia Aguilar for helping me with this!

My Australia & Woodford Folk Festival tour reflections

Hello #dancewithSL fam!

I’m back from my 3-week tour of Australia including 7 performances with Farhan Shah & Brothers, 1 solo show, 2 workshops, 2 collab videos, and an infinite amount of learnings.

A chunk of these performances and workshops happened at the Woodford Folk Festival over 6 days where I was accompanying Farhan Shah & Brothers Qawwali group, and I’m so grateful for the experience. I learned so much about the significance of what I do and how it’s meant to shape the meaning of the qawwalis performed, about the history and structure of qawwali, and got to experience the impact it has on people. I was so surprised to see people at Woodford dancing in a complete trance and in pure joy over the music. For the most part, they didn’t understand the meaning, but it was the soul of the music that found its way into their souls. It was absolutely magical.

Thank you to the Woodford Folk Festival team for being so amazing and helpful, to the beautiful creatures of Woodford for being so engaged and giving us so much life on stage, to the brothers for their amazing gift in music, to Suella & Jim for opening their home to us, to Nadyah & Keith for teaching me so much, and most of all to Farhan Shah, for his talent, for the learnings, and for believing in me :)

Stay tuned for the collab videos I got to do with Dance Masala in Brisbane & video from the Woodford shows!

xo, SL

Judging at the United States Ismaili Games dance competition!


I had the absolute pleasure of judging the dance competition at the US Ismaili Games in Austin, Texas last weekend! Seriously I had so much fun and was completely blown away by these dancers and the soul they put in to three rounds of competition! It was also so lovely to meet some of my dancewithSL fam in real life - thank you for introducing yourselves and chatting with me! Nothing makes me happier than meeting y'all.
Thank you to my fellow judges, the organizers and volunteers, and most of all the DANCERS for making this weekend truly unforgettable. ❤️

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The Creative Breakthrough podcast!

Sat down with Shereen ‘funnybrowngirl’ Kassam on her podcast ‘Creative Breakthrough’ to talk all things Youtube, the pain of creating art, and the balancing act that is my life.

More links:
Apple Podcast: funnybrowngirl.com/apple
Google Podcast: funnybrowngirl.com/googleplay
Spotify: funnybrowngirl.com/spotify

Highlights: It’s our one year anniversary! Thank you everyone for listening! Past guest are killing it! Episode 8: Rizwan Manji was nominated for an Emmy for his role in Schitt’s Creek. He’s also staring in the hit NBC show Perfect Harmony! Episode 21: Sarah Thawer appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week, where she was on the drums for Tegan and Sara! Episode 25: Chaunte Wayans is on tour with Tiffany Haddish as part of Netflix’s They Ready tour. Check out her tour schedule and go watch a live show! October is officially our month to shine! What is one thing you can do this month to shine?   This week’s guest:   Who is Shereen Ladha? Shereen Ladha is a professional dancer, choreographer, artist, instructor, and social influencer based in Toronto, Canada. She is the director of the popular YouTube channel 'dancewithSL' that now has over 100,000 subscribers and 20 million views, and features dance covers and tutorials to the latest Bollywood hits. - Google Canada/YouTube's Next 15 Canadian Stars on the rise - FLARE Top 100 Canadian women with cool jobs - CBC Canada’s top female artists - Strategy Magazine’s 2019 New Establishment Innovator award winner Shereen has also been profiled by BuzzFeed, the Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, CTV, CBC, Breakfast Television, and Strategy Magazine for her work. DancewithSL is also the creative force behind several YouTube viral videos including viral sensation 'Maafi' - the Bollywood cover of Justin Bieber's 'Sorry,' and the hit touring stage shows'Roots: A Journey Through India' and 'Rihla: From Roots to Dreams.' More here: www.shereenladha.com/about     Key Questions answered by Shereen Ladha: When did Shereen’s creative journey begin? How Shereen has balanced two careers – Corporate Life and Dancing How Shereen combines her creativity and her corporate career When Shereen will leave her full-time job and pursue her passion full-time How Shereen has grown her Dance Company How Shereen frames her creative brand to set herself up for success in Corporate America How Shereen has amassed 100,000 YouTube subscribers Why it’s important to bring your “whole-self” to work What is the formula to getting YouTube views and subscribers? Why Shereen doesn’t pursue dancing or YouTube full-time What would Shereen do if YouTube went away?     Shereen Ladha Discusses: Why one’s creative passion is their biggest selling point in interviews Why Shereen completed an MBA program How does an MBA help you if you’re a creative How Shereen prioritizes her passion projects How Shereen manages her brand in the office Why Shereen started a YouTube channel How Shereen created a niche for herself on YouTube What does it take to build a brand What Shereen is building her brand to do in the future Where Shereen’s motivation comes from Why Shereen stopped using an alias on social media Finding your unique proposition to the world Advice Shereen has for other creatives What is Shereen’s creative goal       Key Takeaways from Shereen Ladha:   Create for yourself, not for others It is possible to balance two careers. And yes, your side-hustle is a career! Be open with your corporate job about your creative side. It’s a positive for the company and you should be valued for it Bring your whole self to work, don’t hide who you are Understand your unique proposition to the world and build on it Build your brand outside of social media Do your research and know your niche Continue to assess your position in the market and change your strategy as needed Take care of yourself Keep learning     Listen on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Google Play     Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): https://funnybrowngirl.libsyn.com/rss Announcements If you’re looking for a community of supportive...

My first Nuit Blanche exhibit!

Nuit Blanche was a MOVIE! Still in disbelief that my art got a platform like this and it was a dream come true to be a featured artist and show my work here.
Grateful for the inspiration behind @tawazunexhibit, for the opportunity to be a part of Toronto's largest art festival, for my partners @anilmohabir & @rahimbhimani, for the learning experience, and most of all for my fam who came out to see it. Making art is hard on your soul but y'all bring me back.

Sanu Ek Pal Dance Cover

Hello #dancewithSL fam! Here's my latest to the beautiful cover to Sanu Ek Pal by Neha Kakkar from the movie Raid. I built this Bollywood-inspired contemporary choreography as a skeleton then fully danced it out in the studio trying to feel out the music and move in ways that felt natural to me as I immersed myself in the feelings this song brought out in me. See if you can follow along with the story!

Don't forget to like, comment, SUBSCRIBE, and enjoy :)

Ghar More Pardesiya Bollywood Kathak Cover!

I’m so excited about this one! Ghar More Pardesiya from #Kalank! Even though my girl and dance inspiration Madhuri didn't fully dance in it, I totally channeled her the whole time. I can not WAIT to see this movie! Did a little Bollywood/Kathak fusion freestyle to this one. Jabse naina yeh jaake, ek dhanurdhar se laage, tabse birha mohe sataaye re... :)

Make sure to like, comment, SUBSCRIBE, and enjoy :)

A BIG thank you to my team: Videography: GothamTO http://instagram.com/GothamTO My outfit: Chandan Fashion http://instagram.com/chandanfashion