About Dhara

Dhara is a belly dance artist, yogi, teacher and director of Aranya Belly Dance & Movement. Born and brought up in the colourful land of India, she has grown up with dance and yoga around her. She started her journey in the art of belly dancing more than 12 years ago,  beginning her training with Veronica D’souza in Mumbai. 

Within only a few years she found herself travelling around the world to learn and teach. Dhara trained under masters such as Rachel Brice, Didem, Fifi Abdou, Tito Seif and Moria Chappell, and was invited as a Master Teacher at the Tarazade festival in Istanbul, Turkey. 

She travelled to China to represent India at The Global Belly Dance Conference and later to the USA to train with Rachel and Fat Chance Belly Dance Studio. Dhara regularly travels to the Middle East for her studies, her most recent trip being to the heartland of belly dance— Egypt.

In 2019, Dhara packed her life in two suitcases and moved to Canada. Most recently, Dhara opened Aranya Belly Dance & Movement Studio in the Waterloo Region with a vision to create an artistic, inclusive and culturally rich space dedicated to the art of Belly Dance. Dhara’s professional background as a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Master helps her to achieve her vision of not only promoting the joy of belly dancing but also the importance of mental health and holistic well-being through her classes.