Bio
Mandira is an internationally renowned performer, choreographer, researcher and sacred holistic movement teacher, with a wide experience of + 20 years in the field of teaching.
Deeply passionated and devoted to various form of movement, she is an expert in etno-centric dances: Sacred dances of the Silk road and the Art of Turning.
She graduated in anthropology with a dissertation on physical theatre, and since teenage she has always been fascinated to meditation and self growth, pursuing in her 20’s a solid training in Yoga and Qigong, along with various forms of movements.
Passionated about finding a deeper meaning to the human existence, she has been delved meanwhile into different disciplines: astrology, symbolism and mythology, sacred archetype and sacred feminine. During her university years Mandira attended theatre and clowing courses, comedy writing and street performed all over Europe with a duo show of juggling/fire/acrobatics.
It is only after a magical and crucial trip to India that she decided to pursue a big dream: training in Indian classical dance. Fascinated by the subtle beauty, richness and intricacy of this form of sacred temple dance, she devoted herself to the study of this ancient and meaningful art under the tutelage of her Guru Satyapriya Ramana in Chennai.
In her Indian travels she discovered in Rajasthan the tribe of Kalbelya, the famous “snake charmers” from the Thar desert. Their joyful gypsy dances are at the root of flamenco and middle eastern dances and their music is infectious and irresistible.
In Pushkar Mandira trained with her Kalbelya teachers: Raki, Anita & Sunita Sapera, while with the choreographer Hemant Devara she specialised in Kathak Sufi and Ghoomar style.
In 2010 she moved for a few years to Berkeley, (CA) where she got in touch with the vibrant ethnic artist community of the Bay area: here she trained mostly with the devotional dancer Miriam Peretz in Silk road dances and performed with the renowned company “Ballet Asfaneh” in different venues.
Her resentless curiosity led her to Uzbekisthan a couple of times in order to research and deepen her knowledge of Central Asian cultures.
Here she attended the “ Tashkent State higher School of National Dance and Choreography” under the teaching of Gulmira & Dilorom Madraximova.
Mandira lives between Europe & India, where she founded in Goa “The Dance Sanctuary” a creative pod of artists & spiritual seekers. She travels and teaches regularly in Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Russia and India.
In 2021 she launched her 1st book “The dance of Anahita – the elegance of Persian dance: history & decodification. This book is the result of her extensive work in the field of Persian dance and its aesthetic.
Her dream is to open an Academy of Sacred dances in the Greek island of Crete, in the cradle of the Minoian culture, the last matricentric civilization who workshipped the Great Mother.