SONIA THARANI
(India / Spain)
Sonia Tharani popularly known as Bollyrina, is an established international Choreographer and Creative Director working in film, TV and theatre. Her love for dance began at a very early age and has only grown throughout the years with countless large scale performances and collaborations all over the world. She has been dancing and learning from well known choreographers with expertise ranging from western dance styles such as Flamenco, Ballet, Hip Hop and Rhythmical Gymnastics, to Indian classical and folk dance styles including Odissi, Kathak, Bhangra and Garba.
Bollyrina’s multi-disciplined training allows her to fuse all the beautiful art forms she has learned throughout her dancing career, forming a unique style of her own and creating elegant and thrilling choreographies for stage productions worldwide.
After experiencing the role of a Creative Director for Absolute Bollywood in London, Sonia founded BollyDanz with the hope of spreading Indian cultural awareness in her hometown Málaga, Spain. The classes were always dynamic, fun was guaranteed and soon became popular among schools, dance academies, senior care homes and Down Syndrome centres. Her energetic and graceful style inspires audiences of all ages and nationalities to attend her classes and also invite her to conduct workshops in Madrid, London, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Dubai and New York.
Expanding on her vast experience in teaching and performing, she also uses dance and movement in a psychotherapeutic manner to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration. The specificity of this therapy is not restricted to those who have mental/physical health issues but is also useful to people from all walks of life to manage stress and achieve better mind-body connection & awareness. Her goal is to help individuals reap the benefits of dance by introducing them to an embodied approach to healing.
Credits include choreographing for Kanika Kapoor, Vyas Brothers, Asian Awards, Dubai Summer Surprises, Mumbai Globoil Awards, Move it Dance Exhibition, 50 years of Bollywood (Hammersmith Apolo) and the first Indian wedding at Disney World. She has also worked with renowned Hollywood and Bollywood artists including Emma Thompson, Shekhar Kapoor, Salman Khan, Preeya Kalidas, Arjun, Ash King, Jonita Gandhi, Mika Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lisa Haydon & Nargis Fakhri. Other credits include Welcome Modi (Wembley Arena), Diwali on the Square, PricewaterhouseCoopers UK, Decathlon, Pineapple Dance Show (Mermaid Theatre), Holi Fiesta Spain, Zee TV International Show and choreographing the first ever Bollywood Flashmob in Malaga.