What can a young immigrant girl who was raised in the Bronx know about Indian dance culture? In searching for the answer, choreographer, and performer Gaitrie Subryan, takes us on a journey tracing her ancestors’ voyage from Bihar, India to Guyana, South America. With her untamed passion for Bollywood, Afro-Caribbean dance, and Indian Classical dance styles Bharatanatyam and Kathak, she discovers that her ancestors’ stories reside in her body and have paved the path to find her beat.
Artistic Director and Producer: Gaitrie Subryan
Creative Consultant: Victoria Perez
Choreographers: Gaitrie Subryan in collaboration with SatyaVani Akula, Sukanya Burman, Cortney Costanzo, Jayeeta Dutta, Holli Simme, Megan Rakeepile, and Nitya Vedantam
Performers: SatyaVani Akula, Sukanya Burman, Jacquie Cherry, Cortney Costanzo, Tonya Davis, Isabella Guerrucci, Jonise Hall, Dana Harris, Anika Pace, Ravi Padmanabha, Natasha Perkins, Megan Rakeepile, Nathania Sampaio, Holli Simme, Gaitrie Subryan, Zhanna Zhelre, accompanied with live drumming by Baba Ysa, Dev, Marlo, Marvin, Taharka and Ted Canning.
Lighting Designer: Devon Hard
Stage Manager: Aneesah Karam
*This production is supported by Shea’s Smith Theatre through the Arts Engagement and Education Department and by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Statewide Community Regrant (SCR) program and by the Mellon Foundation for Creatives Rebuild New York, GLOW Creatives, Go Art!, GVCA, ACWC, and NYSCA
Buffalo-based entertainer Holli began her dance journey at the age of three at Barb Denny’s Studio of Dance Arts. She studied various styles including tap, jazz, ballet, modern, hip-hop, and musical theater. After graduating high school, Holli continued her education in dance at University at Buffalo where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2014. While in school she was fortunate to learn much from her professors, and took residencies and master classes such as Lehrer dance, Limon Dance Company, Pilobolus, River North Dance Chicago, and Doug Varone and Dancers. She was also a member of the Zodiaque Dance Company, Zodiaque Dance Ensemble, and performed in Dancer’s Workshop and Digital Poetry and Dancers.
Holli began performing with Devi Bollywood Performing Arts in 2017 after taking class with Gaitrie at local dance festival Dance Days of Buffalo. She also currently performs with Showstarters Entertainment, and can be seen as a live Disney princess actor for A Dream Is A Wish Entertainment. Along with dance and character work, Holli also has been practicing fire spinning for the past three years. Other past performances include work with Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Torn Space Theater, The Bird’s Nest Circus Arts, Foxy Diamondz, and the Slyboots Circus.
For the past eleven years, Holli has been teaching dance and is currently an instructor at Barb Denny’s Studio of Dance Arts and Performing Arts Dance Academy. Her dance and choreography has even taken her around the world to Dalian, China, where she taught abroad at Rainbow Painting Arts Theater in 2018. After returning home from China, Holli went back to school and received her Certificate of Massage from Trocaire College in 2020. She is now a licensed massage therapist in the State of New York and runs her practice at Tupelo Honey Spa in Elma, New York.