About
About Bageshree
Bageshree Vaze is an Indo-Canadian musician, dance artist and writer. Originally from Pune, India, Bageshree discovered Indian classical music and dance while growing up in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Music runs deep in her family: Bageshree's father named her after an Indian raga, inspired the Beatles' 'Norwegian Wood.' Bageshree trained in Bharatha Natyam, and studied Hindustani vocal music with her father, Dr. Damodar Vaze. After her Arangetram in Bharatha Natyam in Michigan, Bageshree's training with some of India's legendary dance and music masters when she received a fellowship from the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute to study with the late Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai in Mumbai.
Bageshree began training in Kathak, with legend Pandit Birju Maharaj and his son Jai Kishan Maharaj in New Delhi. Bageshree completed a Master’s degree in Dance from York University in 2000, and her final thesis was a choreography using Kathak language.
In 2002 Bageshree released an eponymous debut album which combined Indian classical aesthetics with modern pop music and electronica. Bageshree was named ‘ubbharta sitara’ (rising star) by MTV India in 2004, and the video for her single ‘Deewana’ won the 2004 Annecy, France film festival award and the 2006 ReelWorld film festival award for Outstanding Canadian Music video.
Bageshree’s second CD Tarana was a landmark album of songs composed, arranged and adapted for Kathak dance. The CD was released under the name Khanak by Times Music in India, and is used widely by dancers around the world. Popular selections include ‘Tarana,’ ‘Lucknow’s Jewel’ and ‘Vinayak.’ Music from subsequent albums Ragas and Rhythms (2012), Avatar (9) (2011), Kalashree (2019) and Songs from the Temple (2025) is available digitally and is accessed by dancers worldwide.
Bageshree was the 2022 Inaugural Dance Collection Danse Artist Researcher-in-Residence, and in May 2022 she choreographed the work Anthem for the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2022 Bageshree won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Composition in the Dance Division for her production Sadhana/Tarana. That production was nominated for 5 Dora Awards, including Outstanding Production.
In 2023 Bageshree produced a video series Tarana, a co-production with the Aga Khan Museum, featuring her choreography and performance of original music for Kathak dance.
Bageshree's work in dance and music continues to reflect her journey of intersections and diversity. In 2025 she choreographed and directed a 6-city Ontario tour of her Global Bollywood production and premiered a 70-minute dance theatre work celebrating her origin story of learning Indian dance in Newfoundland, Paratopias. Bageshree is the Artistic Director of Pratibha Arts.
Major Performance Highlights
Performance & Choreographic Highlights
• Guest Artist, Niagara Symphony Orchestra (2009)
• Performed at Pt. Birju Maharaj’s Vasantotsav Festival, New Delhi (2010)
• Co-recipient, K.M. Hunter Award in Dance (2010)
Major Works
In My (Dis)Place (2014)
Commissioned by CanAsian Dance KickStart Festival
Mentored by Christopher House (Toronto Dance Theatre)
Premiered at Dancemakers Centre for Creation
Paratopia (2015)
Full-length production presented by DanceWorks Mainstage Season
Remounted at the 2016 Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa)
A Canadian Dream (2017)
Explored themes of ice hockey and Indo-Canadian identity
Global Bollywood 2025
Ontario Tour
Satyam
Commissioned by Opera Nova Scotia (2017)
Remounted at Toronto Music Garden (2018)
Under Pratibha Arts, Bageshree launched the Diversity Dance Initiative (2018) — a shared platform model supporting dance artists of colour.
Music Career & Recordings
Discography
Songs from the Temple (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/6pQiGYuG5xvAUEry3Yu4P4
Kalashree (2019) https://open.spotify.com/album/10mLK3CkzIp4g1U68ocDHa
Ragas and Rhythms(2012) https://open.spotify.com/album/0FeWG9mCcfBgIFhua2XnxK
Avatar (9) https://open.spotify.com/album/42JZCWoq3T3V1bmFE4LjHJ
Tarana (released as Khanak in India)https://open.spotify.com/album/2PIkWbnKf81LlMDLs1mBCk
Bageshree (2002) https://open.spotify.com/album/6PMGY1U5MIQyNr844itzgE
Writing & Screen Works
Bageshree holds a Bachelor’s (Honours) in Journalism from Carleton University and an M.A. in Dance from York University.
Her journalism and essays have appeared in:
Maclean’s
The Toronto Star
Canadian Theatre Review
The Economic and Political Weekly
Mentored by acclaimed novelist Shyam Selvadurai, and through the Diaspora Dialogues mentoring program, she is completing her debut novel, A Hidden Dance.
She was a participant in BIPOC Film & TV’s 2022–23 Episodic Writers Lab, where she developed the pilot script for an original TV drama titled Mythology.
Her storytelling centers on hidden narratives and the Indo-Canadian experience.
Awards & Recognition
? Awards & Recognition
MTV India “Rising Star” (2004)
Annecy Film Festival Award (2004)
ReelWorld Film Festival Award (2006)
K.M. Hunter Award in Dance (2010)
Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations (2019) for A Hidden Princess:
• Outstanding Performance by an Individual
• Outstanding Sound Composition
• Outstanding Production
Education
Education
Bachelor of Journalism (Honours), Carleton University
Master of Arts in Dance, York University