Allure's Illusion - Dance, Music and Poetry

Shalini Basu - Odissi dance,
Manav Khurana - tabla,
Bhavika Yendapalli - poetry

Sitting: In the main room on the floor with back jack support, chairs in the second and third room.
Dress Code: Casual, comfortable, descent. Please take off your shoes before entering the studios.
Food and beverage: Only water is allowed inside the studios. Please bring your own supply.

Shalini Basu is a disciple of Odissi, which is an Indian classical dance originating in the state of Odisha. Shalini has been under the tutelage of Guru Kaustavi Sarkar since 2012. She is an undergraduate student at Pace University in New York, New York. Born in New Jersey and raised in Ohio, Shalini finds Odissi to be her primary medium in which she connects with her cultural and ethnic background. She has offered solo recitals in Ohio and has worked for her Guru's company regionally, nationally, as well as internationally. Shalini has also been recognized nationally as the first Odissi dancer to be awarded the National YoungArts award for Dance in 2021. She has worked closely as an apprentice to master artists such as Maya Kulkarni. Currently, Shalini is exploring hierarchies within Indian Classical Dance through her academic
thesis.

Manav Khurana

Manav Khurana is a talented young tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His musical inclination became apparent at an early age, and his parents encouraged him to learn Dholak, Piano, and other instruments. As a teenager, he was initiated into the world of tabla by his dholak Guru, Shri Roger Sookraj. He soon continued his study of tabla under Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva and Sabir Hussain of the Punjab Gharana. Subsequently, he began his serious training with Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee at the age of 14. In 2023 he became an initiated disciple (shishya) of tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Manav has already performed with some notable performers of Indian Classical Music including, Shri Biplap Mukherjee, Pandit Hindol Chattopadhyay, Pandit Sugato Nag, and his Guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Outside of music, he is currently pursuing his Bachelors degree in Finance.

BHAVIKA YENDAPALLI
Bhavika Yendapalli studies, works and creates within the intersection of sustainability, culture, and storytelling. Starting off as a hobby to document her friends and artists, her photography has
evolved into a form of documenting threads of community in NYC. As a cultural documentarian, Yendapalli’s subjects range from her NYC community, Indian textile artisans, and her
grandmother. Some of her favorite photo projects include: capturing South Asian taxi drivers for Taxi Driver Doc, immigrant women business owners for a multimedia project called “Lost in Translation”, and her friend’s highlighting process experimenting with traditional Tamil recipes for a group show, “How Do We Play.” Bhavika is a senior at Fordham University studying sustainable business and anthropology. Post-grad, she will document images in dialogue with her
research- amplifying the value of community-based sustainable textile systems in South India from an economic and ethnographic lens. This is her first time performing poetry to an audience,
but the practice has been an outlet for all her childhood.