Company
Alpa Shah Basu
Alpa has been a life-long student of dance and began learning Bharat Natyam, Kathak, and all-India folk dance from her Guru and mother Late Smt. Alka Shah at the age of three. She completed her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Bharat Natyam from the Bharata College of Fine Arts – Bombay University. Alpa has played major roles in several dance-dramas and performed at such prestigious venues as the United Nations, City Hall, and for the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. She has newly formed the Maeri Dance Company, which aims to present both traditional and more contemporary forms of dance. She is also a Neonatologist at the New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.
Dipali Goswami
Dipali fell in love with dance at a young age. Under the tutelage of her Guru, Smt. Alka Shah, she studied Bharat Natyam and Kathak for over 15 years and completed her Arangetram in 2005. Learning Indian classical dance bridged a connection to her family's heritage and culture, and she expanded upon that by joining other South Asian dance organizations. In addition to the classical dance forms, she has performed various styles of folk dances in festivals, programs, and competitions throughout the country. As a student at Boston University, she served as Co-Captain for the school's coed Indian Fusion Dance Team - BU Jalwa - for 3 years. After taking a long break from dancing to grow her career and family, Dipali is excited to be back!
Krupa Patel
Krupa is an architect at MdeAS Architects in New York City. A recent graduate from Pratt Institute with a Bachelor of Architecture, she began dancing long before beginning her career. She completed her Arangetram in 2012 and has performed in various other genres of dance including jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, theater, Gujarati folk and Kathak since the age of 5. Her passion for dance stems from her mother who introduced her to this beautiful world of expression, and her Guru and instructors who have diligently taught her to refine this art. Krupa draws on all her experiences to evoke the emotions she feels as she dances to give the audience a full and engaging performance.
Sitara Patel
Sitara recently completed her MPH at Emory University and joined New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center as a Program Coordinator. After 6 years away at school, Sitara is excited to be back in NYC and rejoin the local dance community. Dance has played a large role in Sitara's life from a young age; she started learning Bharat Natyam and Kathak at just 5 years old, and by 8 was part of a competitive Garba/Raas team. In 2010, she completed her Arangetram under the guidance of Guru Smt. Alka Shah. Following this milestone, Sitara went on to train in other styles of dance - including ballet and hip-hop. She continued dancing in college on the nationally-ranked competitive Bhangra team at Cornell University as well as the Indian Classical dance team, Cornell Anjali. Sitara is passionate about dance and hopes to spread her love of the art to others.
Geeta Purushuttam Shah
Geeta began dancing at the age of 9 under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Alka Shah. After learning both Bharat Natyam and Kathak for 11 years, Geeta completed her Arangetram in 2012. Dance truly helped Geeta connect with her culture and in the time spent with her Guru, she learned many valuable lessons that remain with her today. Geeta is a graduate of Queens College with a BA in International Business. She is active once again in the local dance community, leading the Events team for the NY Kathak Festival, a NYC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to highlighting emerging artists and spreading love for Kathak by bringing members of the dance community together. Geeta looks forward to being on stage again with Maeri Dance and is excited for the creative opportunities that lie ahead.
Gia Mitcham
Bio coming soon!