Drama Queens, a five-star arts journal focusing on female artists

An editorial by Jen Bish

Shreya Rawat is adept at using her body as an artform.  She is a dancer and choreographer hailing from India and making a name for herself in America.  At the age of 15 she was already dancing and choreographing as a senior member of DanceworX in Delhi.  Ms. Rawat is competent in many forms of dance including Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Indo-Contemporary and Creative Movement.  She continued to hone her craft at the Conservatory of Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, PA.  She is currently dancing her way through New York.  She secured a gig Off-Broadway and this summer you can catch her performing with Gotham Dance at the Queensborough Dance Festival that runs through September.  She is close to furthering her artistic journey in Los Angeles as a member of several commercial dance companies.

Contact Improv is a solo dance piece shot outdoors.  The sun and the grass made excellent co-stars in this video.  The Oxford dictionary defines dance as moving rhythmically typically following a set sequence of steps.  Ms. Rawat demonstrates that you don’t need music in order to dance proficiently.  Through fluid dance movements set to a narration about how a body feels being in love, the audience is treated to a visceral performance.  Every dance move portrays the words being spoken.  In an interview, Ms. Rawat talked about choreography being in part a cerebral process for her.  She can visualize an entire dance in her head.  Using this skill, she executed a creative and instinctual piece.

With and without music, Ms. Rawat is a strong and skillful dancer.  Her vast experience at such a young age coupled with her passionate ambition with take her far in her artistic journey.