Mudra Trivedi Shah on how dance turned from passion into profession
Seven years ago in the year 2010, I arrived in the beautiful city of Adelaide with dreams in my eyes, enthusiasm to do something different, determination to work hard and a hope to make my little space in this beautiful land we call ‘Australia’. I did not know something this beautiful was going to happen and my life was going to change in a way I had imagined in my dreams.
It all started here in Adelaide when one of my friends suggested I start teaching dance to her daughter and her friends’ daughters. I was new and hardly knew anyone in Adelaide but I was confident about my skills and ability to teach dance and perform.
I had started dancing from the age of 4 and had actively danced throughout my life and was a trained classical dancer. I never really managed to pursue dance as a career in India as I was studying engineering. So now it was a chance to fulfil my big Bollywood dream.
I started teaching a small group of girls in my tiny house and enjoyed every bit of being their teacher, mentor and a friend. That initial bond which I shared with a bunch of those loveliest kids still holds a special place in my heart. The group started becoming bigger just by word of mouth. The parents thought it was a great idea to keep their children close to their culture and the number of students started swelling.
I was a bit hesitant about turning my passion into a profession. On the other hand I did not want to lose my lovely students and did not want to miss out on the abundant amount of love I was getting from them and the respect I was receiving from the parents.
So I decided to move to rent a hall where I could teach the kids. Along with teaching kids, I was approached by a group of ladies who wanted to learn Indian dancing from me. Surprisingly they were all Australians who were in love with Indian culture and Indian dancing. I started teaching them and the group got bigger and started involving girls and ladies from various ethnicities. I started living a dream as my life started revolving around dance. From then to now — nothing has changed except I have got more and more involved in dance and my love for my students has been increased million times more.
The few hours of dance classes, meeting my students, teaching them, talking to them — is the best time of the week I always look forward to. Once talking to my dad back home in India, he told me a beautiful sentence that touched my heart. He said lucky are those who get love from kids as that is the most innocent and selfless love without expecting anything in return. I have realized how fortunate I am and there is no way I want to ever lose this. There are incidents in my dance classes when parents come to me to ask me to talk to their kids to make them do certain things as they won’t listen to the parents but they will listen to me. There are those delightful moments that still happen when after class some of the kids come to me to give me the cards they have made exclusively for me.
Talking about my group of adult girls and ladies who learn dance from me and together we perform all around Australia spreading our love for dance, Bollywood and Indian culture. You can call us one big dance family.
Support Independent Community Journalism
Dear Reader,The Indian Sun exists for one reason: to tell stories that might otherwise go unheard.
We report on local councils, state politics, small businesses and cultural festivals. We focus on the Indian diaspora and the wider multicultural community with care, balance and accountability. We publish in print and online, send regular newsletters and produce video content. We also run media training programs to help community organisations share their own stories.
We operate independently.
Community journalism does not have the backing of large media corporations. Advertising revenue fluctuates. Platform algorithms change. Costs continue to rise. Yet the need for credible, grounded reporting in a multicultural Australia has never been greater.
When you support The Indian Sun, you support:
• Independent reporting on issues affecting migrant communities
• Coverage of local and state decisions that shape daily life
• A platform for small businesses and community groups
• Media training that builds skills within the community
• Journalism accountable to readers
We cannot cover everything, but we work to cover what matters.
If you value thoughtful reporting that reflects Australia’s diversity, we invite you to contribute. Every donation helps us maintain the quality and consistency of our work.
Please consider making a contribution today.
Thank you for your support.
The Indian Sun Team
