Is there a word more passionate than passion? Obsession, total immersion, the feeling that everything else doesn’t matter.
Photo by Chris Macke
Varsha Bansal, based between New York City and New Delhi, is a dancer, performing artist, and a certified GYROTONIC® instructor. Graduated from Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in 2019, Varsha spent two years studying the Graham technique and repertory. Immersing in the physicality and theatricality that were at the core of Graham’s work, Varsha had the privilege of performing Martha Graham’s repertoires that included, but were not limited to, Lamentation, Satyric Festival Song, Clytemnestra, Appalachian Spring, Maple Leaf Rag, Seraphic Dialogue and Night Chant. Varsha also had the chance to show her compositional work during the summer and winter intensives at the Martha Graham School Showing. She also performed in works of student choreographers.
In addition to Martha Graham School, Varsha has also attended various summer intensives and weekly intensives that include Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Repertory Intensive) in Chicago, Illinois, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company Summer Workshop in New York and Pas Dance Movement Centre in Seoul, South Korea.
Varsha has also participated in masterclasses and workshops where she had the opportunity to learn company repertoires, and the experience of rehearsing in a professional environment with choreographers like Bobbi Jene Smith, Danielle Agami, Adam Barruch, Alice Klock, Alison Cook Beatty, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Caterina Rago, Yoshito Sakuraba, Omar Roman De Jesus, Norbert De La Cruz III, Gabrielle Lamb, Image Tech for dancers with Alexandra Wells and Countertechnique with Anouk van Dijk.
Alongside training and performing works of freelance choreographers, Varsha has been engrossed in exploring her own style of movement that is an amalgamation of all her experiences in dance and life in general. Since the pandemic began, Varsha has been learning Kathak – an Indian classical dance form, reimagining the connections in her movement style that are rooted in her social identity as a brown woman and her education in American modern dance and other contemporary forms.
Varsha also specialises in Bollywood dance and acting. She was the dance captain of her college team and performed at more than 200 inter college dance competitions at national level, where she also received her B.A. (Hons) in Philosophy from Miranda House in the year 2016.
When she is not dancing or teaching Gyrotonic, Varsha likes to drive around and explore local restaurants in her free time.
In addition to Martha Graham School, Varsha has also attended various summer intensives and weekly intensives that include Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Repertory Intensive) in Chicago, Illinois, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company Summer Workshop in New York and Pas Dance Movement Centre in Seoul, South Korea.
Varsha has also participated in masterclasses and workshops where she had the opportunity to learn company repertoires, and the experience of rehearsing in a professional environment with choreographers like Bobbi Jene Smith, Danielle Agami, Adam Barruch, Alice Klock, Alison Cook Beatty, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Caterina Rago, Yoshito Sakuraba, Omar Roman De Jesus, Norbert De La Cruz III, Gabrielle Lamb, Image Tech for dancers with Alexandra Wells and Countertechnique with Anouk van Dijk.
Alongside training and performing works of freelance choreographers, Varsha has been engrossed in exploring her own style of movement that is an amalgamation of all her experiences in dance and life in general. Since the pandemic began, Varsha has been learning Kathak – an Indian classical dance form, reimagining the connections in her movement style that are rooted in her social identity as a brown woman and her education in American modern dance and other contemporary forms.
Varsha also specialises in Bollywood dance and acting. She was the dance captain of her college team and performed at more than 200 inter college dance competitions at national level, where she also received her B.A. (Hons) in Philosophy from Miranda House in the year 2016.
When she is not dancing or teaching Gyrotonic, Varsha likes to drive around and explore local restaurants in her free time.
Photo by Pranav Dhoot