Isha Sharvani

Isha Sharvani (born 29 September 1984) is an Indian contemporary dancer and actress. She is known for her stylistic Indian contemporary and aerial dance performances. She has also starred in Bollywood, Malayalam and Tamil movies.

Isha was born on 29 September 1984 in Gujarat, India as the eldest daughter of acclaimed danseuse Daksha Sheth and Australian musician father Dev Issaro. She lived in Ahmedabad, from where she moved to Delhi, Vrindavan[1] and Bangalore, before settling down in Trivandrum. She has a younger brother named Tao Issaro, who is a noted percussionist.

Isha’s parents founded an arts school called Academy for Art Research, Training and Innovation (AARTI) in Trivandrum, Kerala,[2] where she lived for 13 or 14 years. At the age of thirteen, she began formal learning in dance from her mother Daksha Sheth at her dance school and learned Kalaripayattu, Kathak and Chhau dance as well as giving performances in 22 countries over last seven years.[3]

According to an interview with India Daily, Isha stated she “lived a different life poles apart from the film industry. For 11 years I have been training eight to 10 hours a day in a very disciplined atmosphere where there is no distinction between boys and girls. I was not supposed to cry over a clipped nail. Beyond stage even my wardrobe has mostly unisexual dresses, jeans and T-shirts”. She is a trained Malkam dancer, a type of folk dance.[4]