the work

Gandhi uses movement, complex rhythmic structures, theatricality and live singing to craft a virtuosic and evocative physical/vocal vocabulary. In both form and content, the work reflects her love for tradition (both cultural and disciplinary) with the equally urgent desire to break from it. The work is at once sophisticated yet accessible, culturally specific yet “border-crossing”. It is reflective of a life that embraces diversity, observes human experience, and yearns to tell a story.

“Through her tremendous level of craft and deep knowledge of both traditional and contemporary forms, she creates powerful performances that directly communicate her moving stories.”

The following shows the wide range of the choreographer’s work:


	A solo tour de force combining dance, stirring vocalization and percussive text. Sheetal Gandhi’s magnetically rhythmic Bahu-Beti-Biwi (Daughter-in-law, Daughter, Wife) wraps North Indian music traditions and family characters into a contemporary exploration that glides between humorous portraiture and active resistance. “ Her lightning-fast footwork and virtuosic rhythmic speaking, through their pure velocity, give us a visceral sense of the volume of her characters’ passions, as they spill onto the stage.” Dan Froot, Performance Artist


	Just a few clips from work done on camera. More to come!


	An exploration of how superstition, since ancient times, continues to permeate our day-to-day living. With a highly gestural movement vocabulary including the use of “mudras” (symbolic hand gestures used in classical Indian dance), the piece illuminates, with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, the inherent need in each human being to give meaning to the “chance” occurrences in our lives. ”Playful and inventive, it was great fun to watch.” Daily Breeze: Torrance, CA


	From 1993 to 1994, Sheetal lived in Ghana, West Africa where she studied and performed West African music and dance. She traveled across Ghana with the Novisi Cultural Troupe, performing everywhere from Chief’s funerals to the American Embassy.


	Having lived in Ghana, West Africa for one year, Ms. Gandhi learned the traditional drum and song rhythms played by the women of the Dagamba tribe. High-spirited and passionately joyous, the piece explodes in celebration of woman’s unparalleled strength, tolerance, and perseverance. ”The drums are nodal points for ingenious combinations featuring the purest sort of mime, absent “clever” conceits or tricks.” Singer, Toba: Criticaldance.com


	Highly imaginative, quirky and theatrical, this piece uses silver paint and balloons to create an otherworldly landscape. Inspired by Ms. Gandhi’s experiences and observations living in Irvine, Orange County – the epitome of a “Brave New World”, petri dish society, Takers explores human society’s evolution and obsessive need for control.


	A signature piece that takes a hilarious look at women as “chicks” in a hen house. “There’s yer clucker and yer strutter, each costumed accordingly, and adorned with – feathers. They scratch and scrabble…twaddling onto hay bales, heads bobbing…into funky chicken syncopated rhythms…this work is hella funny!” Singer, Toba: Criticaldance.com


	Letting go and moving to accept the untimely passing of the one you love, Ms. Gandhi dances for her father, to one of his favorite songs by Sultan Khan. “(the)piece gives us lulling torsos swathed in white costumes, and vine-covered tree branches, with…wind-chimes making that grief frisson through the audience.” Singer, Toba: Criticaldance.com


Gandhi uses movement, complex rhythmic structures, theatricality and live singing to craft a virtuosic and evocative physical/vocal vocabulary. In both form and content, the work reflects her love for tradition (both cultural and disciplinary) with the equally urgent desire to break from it. The work is at once sophisticated yet accessible, culturally specific yet “border-crossing”. It is reflective of a life that embraces diversity, observes human experience, and yearns to tell a story. “Through her tremendous level of craft and deep knowledge of both traditional and contemporary forms, she creates powerful performances that directly communicate her moving stories.” George Lugg, Associate Director, REDCAT
“Best-kept Secret!” “… capture the big-hearted, global creativity this choreographer delivers”
Singer, Toba: Criticaldance.com