About us

At Dance Masala, we take pride in having amazing teachers, able to bring out the dancer in anyone. Our classes are the perfect complement to your exercise routine, guaranteed to uplift the spirit and leave you smiling. We are dedicated to creating inspiring dancers and encourage our students to evolve into proud, passionate artists. Through a unique curriculum for Bollywood dance, Dance Masala brings out the performer in everybody!

Dance Masala Story & Mission

Dance Masala was conceived by Andrea Lam ( dreachoreo ) in December 2012 with a vision of creating an all-style Bollywood Dance School in Brisbane. Bollywood Dance is the umbrella term given to any dance set to Bollywood Music, much like ‘Disco’, the genre has widely defined characteristics and embodies many micro-styles (e.g. Semiclassical, Folk Fusion and Hip Hop Fusion). We believe that Bollywood can be a technical and profound art form, as beautiful and diverse as India herself. Bollywood draws from many influences, and Dance Masala is proud to be ‘pure Bollywood’, a lively fusion of Indian and Western dance. 

Dance Masala is a Bollywood Dance School with Courses for Adults, and a curriculum of dance for children, as well as drop-in workshops on Sundays.. We offer exceptional Bollywood Dance Entertainment for Corporate and Private Events. We are leaders in Cultural Dance Education, and run workshops, and incursions at many schools throughout the year. We are proud to be the National Title holder of the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition’s Best Team in Australia from 2019, as presented by Malaika Arora Khan and Arjun Kapoor at the Indian Film Festival Melbourne.

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Dance Masala’s Vision is to:

Authentically pay homage to, promote and share Indian culture, through dance.

Dance Masala’s Mission is to:

Create inspiring fusion, while actively engaging in classical roots of Bollywood and the influence of regional specific folk dance. And to contribute to the development of dance in Brisbane.

Values

The following Values underpin Dance Masala’s Vision and Mission

  • Cultural Responsibilities
  • Respect
  • Diversity & Acceptance
  • Accessibility
  • Homage
  • Constant skill development

      The Dance Masala Mission Statement

      Dance Masala is proud to be a reflection of our culturally diverse society while sharing Bollywood Dance. We believe in creating diversity, honouring hard work, and building a culture of respect in our classes. It is our pleasure to help promote and share Indian culture in Australia.

      Bollywood is a technical, diverse and profound art form, as beautiful and diverse as India herself. Bollywood draws from many influences, and Dance Masala is proud to be ‘pure Bollywood’, a lively fusion of Indian and Western dance. We believe in the tradition of dance storytelling, and the importance of dancing with intention and purpose. We hope to inspire our students to strive for excellence in technique, performance, and expression.   Although Bollywood choreography is not “free licence” like a dance like the Macarena, we acknowledge that there is a vast existing repertoire of Bollywood steps. Our choreography has two main intentions: –

      1. Homage: we seek to transport our audience by referencing specific cinematic moments through the use of ‘signature steps’ and very occasional dance covers and;
      2. Originality: to create powerful, emotive and joyous performances, through original and exciting choreography.

      In meeting its cultural responsibilities, Dance Masala invests in building relationships with the Indian community and giving back to the Indian community through regularly performing at cultural events.

      Our Director

      An image of a pretty woman teaching a group of women dancers with their arms lifted up and their fingers outstretched classes

      Andrea Lam

      Andrea Lam is the founder & director of Dance Masala Bollywood Dance Company, one of the largest independent Bollywood Dance Companies in Australia. She has been in the Dance Industry for 12 years. In 2012, she launched Dance Masala Bollywood Dance Company. Andrea is a proud mixed-race woman of Goan-Indian, Cantonese, Portuguese and Filipina descent, she has been living in Australia since 1995.

      In addition to her work with  Dance Masala, Andrea is an alumnus of the illustrious Australia India Youth Dialogue, attending the conference in Delhi & Chennai as part of the 30-person delegation in January 2020. She goes between Mumbai & Australia regularly to collaborate with artists, and make industry connections. 

      As a producer, she is co-creator and producer of the Bollywood Australia Dance Convention (BADC) in 2019, a three-day expo-style event with professional development, industry events and a dance competition aimed to unify the Indian Dance Community while capacity building. Andrea also was a producer for the Mini-Festival of Indian Dance in 2019, and a producer of the inaugural year of Brisbane Holi in 2017. 

      An articulate and commanding presence, Andrea may also be seen speaking at events and has presented addresses for Creative Mornings  (2019), the Opening Keynote Address at BrisAsia Festival 2021, and presented on many panels, radio shows and TV and Media spots. 

      Outside of dance, Andrea has been featured in theatre work with Polytoxic, is currently developing a show supported by Supercell and Backbone Youth Arts. The @dreachoreo YouTube Channel has a following of 57K+ and is ever growing. 

      Andrea is passionate about mental health, and sharing what she has learnt with young people. Her prolific career is a reflection of her values of growth, respect and inclusivity.

      Fundraising
      • 2021 Oxygen Projects – $1050 Raised for Hemkunt Foundation and Care India’
      • 2016 Award of Appreciation – Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Christmas Appeal for raising $1,816
      • 2014 Award of Appreciation – Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Christmas Appeal for raising $833
      Key Credits
      • 2021 – Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance, HOTA – Maker, Choreographer
      • 2021 – BrisAsia Festival – Opening Address, Keynote Speaker, Choreographer
      • 2020 – Arts Queensland Digital Adaptation Grant – Recipient 
      • 2020 – Australian Indian Youth Dialogue in Delhi & Chennai – Delegate
      • 2019/20 – Woodford Folk Festival – Performer, Workshops
      • 2019 – Creative Mornings, Brisbane – Keynote Speaker
      • 2019 – Melbourne Indian Film Festival – Telstra Bollywood Awards – Winner of Adult Division presented by Malaika Arora Khan
      • 2019 – Sonali Bhadauria Australian Tour – Tour Manager
      • 2019 – Bollywood Australia Dance Convention – Producer
      • 2019 – Indian Mini-Festival of Dance, BrisAsia – Producer
      • 2019 – APT9 Summer Festival Up Late, QAGOMA – Choreographer, Performance Maker
      • 2018 – Woodford Folk Festival, The Planting – Choreographer, Performer
      • 2018 – Jasmine Sandlas Show, The Met
      • 2018 – BrisAsia’s Brisbane Holi, Rocks Riverside Park – Stage Manager
      • 2018 – BrisAsia Symposium – Speaker
      • 2017/18 – Woodford Folk Festival – Performer, Workshops
      • 2017 – ‘Let’s Dance’ at QPAC, International Series – Performances & Workshops
      • 2017 – Queensland Diwali, Robelle Domain, Springfield Lakes
      • 2017 – Brisbane Holi, Robelle Domain, Springfield Lakes – Stage Manager & Producer
      • 2016 – Neha, Tony & Sonu Kakkar Show, Tivoli – Choreographer, Artistic Director, Performer
      • 2016 – Guest Appearances on Totally Wild & Toasted TV, Channel 10
      • 2016 – Mika Singh Show, Chandler Sports Complex – Choreographer, Artistic Director, Performer
      • 2016 – ‘Bollywood Dancing (8 days, 32  shows) at Out of the Box, QPAC – Choreographer, Artistic Director, Lead Performer
      • 2016 – Christchurch Diwali & New Zealand Tour – Choreographer, Artistic Director, Performer
      • 2015 – Queensland Symphony Orchestra featuring Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan – Choreographer, Performer
      • 2015 – QPAC 30th Anniversary Celebration – Performer
      • 2014 – ‘Bollywood Dancing’ Out of the Box, QPAC – Appearance, Workshops
      • 2013 – ‘Feet First’, QPAC – Appearance, Workshops 
      • 2011 – SBS’ Bollywood Star – Top 20 – Viewership of 250, 000 per episode
      • 2011 – Pozible Funding Grant
      • 2011 – Fox 8’s Cricket Superstar – Guest Judge and Instructor
      • 2010 Subway Chicken Tikka TV Commercial – Featured Dancer – shown India & Australia