About Me

Hi! My name is Simran, and I am "a soul that dances".

My mom told me that when she was pregnant with me, she went to see the movie "Jeet". As soon as the music started, I kicked so much in her belly that she had to leave the cinema. So I think that's where this all started for me.

I was born and raised in an Indian household in Auckland, New Zealand, when dial-up internet and landline phones were the norm. Out of the womb, I started dancing in my living room to classics like Chunari Chunari and Falguni Pathak songs.

I currently specialise in Kathak, BollyKathak, BollyNakhra, and BollyKathak Basics.

But honestly, play some music and I'll dance to anything at this point.

I've performed at 1,000+ events, including dancing at senior citizen meetings, rest homes, Diwali festivals, charity events, music shows, and dance productions.

My Dance Journey

Early Days

Mom knows best

My mom noticed my love for dance and signed me up for Bharatanatyam. I didn’t understand the language, so I mostly looked forward to the Bollywood class right after.

School and University years

"The growing up phase"

I explored all kinds of dance styles and trained at different schools across Auckland—giddha, belly dancing, hip hop, salsa, you name it—but none of them felt quite right. I just wanted to dance like Madhuri Dixit. Somewhere along the way, I started a public Instagram. My mom came up with ‘@asoulthatdances,’ soon enough, that became who I was known as.

Uni and Work years

When Kathak entered the chat

I started learning Kathak in 2019 at Kathak Kendra Nrityashala NZ, eventually teaching there for a while. Wanting to grow, I shifted to online classes with Tridhara Institute and now train under the guidance of Nayantara Parpia Didi.

Since I didn’t grow up religious, I connect more with Bollywood music than traditional thumris, vandanas, or bhajans when I dance.

Full-time Job era, but I want to dance

Enter "BollyKathak"

I started blending Kathak with Bollywood music—BollyKathak was born. When I saw no one doing it in Auckland, I began sharing my choreography locally in March 2023.

Work life took a back seat

My dream trip to India

In 2024, I took my dream trip to India, splitting my time between Pune and Mumbai. In Pune, I experienced Kathak classes at Tridhara, and in Mumbai, I learned from artists like Pravin Agawane, Enette D'souza, and Noel Alexander. It was a chance to develop my BollyKathak style and grow in ways I couldn’t back home. I brought all this knowledge back and started incorporating it into my teaching to share with my community back home.

What next?

My journey has only just begun

In 2025...
I've quit my full-time job, I teach my regular workshops, I’ve already taught 2 sold-out workshops in Melbourne, collaborated on 3 workshops with talented dancers (including one internationally), and I’m about to teach my first-ever workshop in London—all in just the first 5 months. I’m eager to see where this journey takes me next.