The Upahaar Dance Company is a semi-professional core group of well-trained dancers who undertake intensive training in Mohiniyattam under the guidance of Guru Shalini Shivashankar. They present both traditional Margams as well as thematic productions and have been actively performing across the UK since 2014 and abroad since 2017, including Chennai, India's Margazhi festival, and in Munich, Germany. The Upahaar Mohiniyattam Ensemble has performed in Anartan at The Curve Theatre, Leicester, Skandavale Temple in Wales, and a variety of community programmes in South London.
Shalini Shivashankar is a performing artist, choreographer, and teacher residing in the UK performing regularly across the UK and abroad. After several years of intensive training in Bharatanatyam, Shalini initiated her training in Mohiniyattam with Smt Kalamandalam Chandrika and Kalamandalam Saraswati in Calicut. Subsequently, she became the disciple of Smt Sreedevi Rajan, the daughter of the legendary Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma. After having completed a few years of training under Sreedevi Rajan and then continuing to train and work with Shyamala Surendran of Dharani, Kochi, Shalini embarked on training students in Mohiniyattam. The Upahaar Mohiniyattam ensemble is one of its kind in the UK and plays a significant role in spreading the practice and appreciation of this dance style.