Aeilushi Mistry

Aeilushi Mistry is a Brooklyn-based teaching artist, performer and choreographer, whose work is grounded in the sacred arts traditions of India. Aeilushi was born and raised in Gujarat, India where she studied Bharathanatyam classical dance. There, she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Bharathanatyam at Gandharva University, Gujarat, and further advanced her studies at Kerala Kalamandalam, Kerala. She has also studied privately with renowned Bharathanatyam gurus; and is trained in Gujarati folk dance traditions such as Garbaa, Raas and Divada. 

In 2001, Aeilushi migrated to the United States. Since doing so, she has studied arts administration at New York University, and at the Foundation for Dance Education at 92nd Y. In order to better understand how different dance traditions draw on unique movements and the use of space, she has also studied Kathak, Kuchipudi, modern dance, and West African dance. 

Aeilushi is currently affiliated with the Arts in Education and Folk Arts programs at the Brooklyn Arts Council, where she leads hands-on workshops for students in New York public schools. These students are introduced to traditional Indian dance, folk tales, and sacred narratives. To her credit, in 2015, she was awarded a fellowship in folk/traditional arts from the New York Foundation for the Arts.  

It is worthy to note that since 2013, every summer, Aeilushi has led and performed Aarti Hindu Lamp Ceremony. This ceremony that is held at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, is attended by especially New Yorkers of various backgrounds. It is a ceremony that engages the community in collective art making, while bridging the sacred traditions of India and America – Mother Ganga and the New York harbor.