Here's Heather

Heather Panikkar is returning as Guest Artist with MDTC for her third season.  She is pictured in last season's The Ebony Horse, from our production of Tales from The Arabian Nights. (Photo by Gary Heller.)

I always loved dancing and creating as a child.  I loved watching the ballets that came on T.V. in my hometown and trying to mimic their movements. I was accepted into Oklahoma City University’s Dance Performance program and have been in the business ever since!  My dance career challenges me to keep pushing forward to the next exciting adventure while still managing the daily activities of everyday life responsibilities.
   My training is ballet, modern, musical theater.  Middle Eastern dance, and folk dance in general, is very different from what I usually perform. I wanted to branch out and learn more about different cultures and their styles of dance. Middle Eastern dance has been fun to learn!  Even though a lot of the movements look soft and circular, it is a very grounded dance form. The way the body executes the technique is completely opposite from what the eyes see. It has been interesting to see the dance in one way, but feel it internally in another.  I have had a lot of fun learning the different folk dances of the Mediterranean region and their histories, and have really enjoyed learning about the different tales and stories that Mosaic has in their repertoire.  My favorites are the stories of the Tales of the Arabian Nights -- I love being part of the stories!