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Kritya Company Modern Dancers 2023-2024 Season

Yamini Kalluri - Artistic Director

Raised in Hyderabad, India, Yamini Kalluri has been celebrated by the New York Times and BBC as being a Kuchipudi sensation. A disciple of legendary guru, Padmasri Dr. Sobha Naidu, Yamini began exhibiting signs of her extraordinary talent and dedication to dance at a very early age. At the age of 12 she not only began performing throughout India but also began teaching at Dr. Sobha Naidu's School. She went on to complete a certification course in Kuchipudi from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad with distinctions in 2013 and further refined her style under the mentorship of the renowned Kuchipudi guru Vempati Ravi Shankar. 
At 18 she began performing internationally at various prestigious festivals, offering workshops in the UK, the US, Russia, Argentina and Canada. A world-class dancer, Yamini is known for her grace, agility and uncompromising perfection. Aiming to bring a new face to Kuchipudi, her ambition and passion led her to move to New York where she now teaches, performs and trains in ballet and modern dance at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary dance full time. In exploring various disciplines of dance and music in the west Yamini has not only developed her own unique style and technique but has also expanded and diversified her dance repertoire by collaborating with many talented musicians. 
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Erin Landers

ERIN LANDERS is a Brooklyn based choreographer, teacher, and performer. She is a founding member of ECHOensemble, an improvising group of musicians and dancers, a member of dNaga Dance Company, an internationally-touring, intergenerational dance company directed by Claudine Naganuma, and was a co-founder of  A-Y/dancers, a Hudson-Valley based repertory company. Erin is influenced by her upbringing in a musical household and study of many dance forms including modern, contemporary, ballet, Zimbabwean, Irish, and Balkan Dance as well as mime. Erin studied at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco, and graduated from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College with a BFA in dance and a concentration in composition. As a professional, Erin has performed works by José Limón, Merce Cunningham, Doug Varone, Bill T. Jones, and Hannah Garner’s Second Best Dance Company. Her choreographic work has been presented at Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco), the Trust Performing Arts Center (Lancaster, PA), Alchemical Studios (New York City), ChaShaMa (New York City), MOtiVE Brooklyn (New York City), and the Neuberger Museum of Art (Purchase, NY). Erin is thrilled to be dancing with Kritya this season.

Pawel Kurylo

PAWEL KURYLO is a dancer and choreographer originally from Krakow Poland. He graduated from choreographic studies in 2004 before moving to Paris in 2005. Pawel worked as a dancer in theaters such as Theatres des Verietes and Theatre Magador, Disneyland Paris and various cabarets including Nouvelle Eve, Le Carrousel and The Bleu Diamond. He also taught dance at Harmonic Dance Studio in Paris and conducted workshops throughout Europe. In 2018 Pawel moved to New York City and became a manager of the dance crew “ Don’t Let Me Go” at Dixon Place in Manhattan. 

Sierra Sanders

SIERRA CHRISTINE SANDERS from Montclair, Nj began studying modern dance at New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Youth Artists Institute. Sierra later received her B.F.A in Dance from Montclair State University. At Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts Intensives, Sierra deepened her training in modern, ballet, and contemporary. Upon graduation, Sierra danced for Philadanco’s D2 and later studied at the Martha Graham School under full scholarship as a member of Graham 2. She graduated in June’20 from the Graham School’s Teacher’s Certificate Program. Sierra currently dances for Buglisi Dance Theatre, The DynamitExperience, and Christopher Rudd’s RudduR Dance.  

Allana Loraine

ALLANA LORAINE is rooted in Flamenco, Modern, and Contemporary dance styles. She is grateful for the opportunity to add Kuchipudi to her movement practice. Informed by her Indigenous heritage, Allana intends to use her position as a dancer, choreographer, and educator to help revitalize tribal dance and increase dance accessibility. Allana started dancing at the age of 15 and her passion for dance brought her to Bard College at Simon's Rock where she studied under Kati Garcia-Renart and Ryoko Kudo. She moved to New York City to further her dance studies and in 2021, obtained a MA in Dance Education from NYU Steinhardt. Allana has studied at The Taylor School, Gibney, and in 2022, she received a certificate from the Limón Launch Program. Whenever she can, Allana takes class with Sol "La Argentinita" to keep her flamenco duende alive.

Mirai Shinde

MIRAI SHINDE is a passionate dancer, choreographer, vocalist, and composer. After having trained in Western classical music and opera since childhood and going on to a degree at the University of Michigan, she discovered her love for dance. Training with teachers such as Robin Wilson, Sandra Torijano, and Penny Godboldo, she was steeped in both the codified stability of modern styles as well as the fluid and ever-shifting processes of improvisation and more contemporary choreography. Feeling the need for a more grounded foundation in physicality and expression, she pursued modern dance further, enrolling in the professional programs at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and the José Limón Dance Institute. There, she performed in multiple works of each company’s repertoire including Acts of Light, Primitive Mysteries, Choreographic Offering, There Is a Time, and Missa Brevis. For this reason, she has a deep appreciation for the breadth of Yamini Kalluri’s investigative and inquisitive work in performance, choreography, and beyond. Mirai is extremely excited to work with the first season of Kritya Dance Company! 

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Kristi Ann Schopfer


​KRISTI ANN SCHOPFER began her dance training in New Jersey at Dance World Academy and R.A.D. (Royal Academy of Dance). She then toured the east coast and on Carnival Cruise Lines with Connecticut-based Dance 10 Touring company, decked out in sequins performing Fossé inspired tap and jazz numbers. After three summers of the Ririe Woodbury and American Dance Festival programs, she decided to continue pursuing her love for modern dance at the College at Brockport, receiving a BFA in Dance and a minor in Studio Art. While at Brockport, Kristi Ann was also a recipient of the Lipson award, granted to study abroad in Florence, Italy for the summer of 2009 with Monica Baroni, David Dorfman, Amy Chavasse, and others. After a choreographic project with Janis Brenner in 2010, Kristi Ann was introduced to the dynamic duo that is Kyla and Aaron of BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT. She has been working with B/S P since 2012 as both dance artist and managing assistant. Kristi Ann has danced for Kate Griffler of REVERB since 2015, and joined Janis Brenner & Dancers in 2016. 
Kristi Ann is also a Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and facilitates movement workshops with Girls Educational and Mentoring Services’ (GEMS); an organization that empowers girls and young women ages 12–24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential.