Mayuri Bhandari is a rare presence in the world of performance art, she is a multi-hyphenate artist whose work bridges continents, cultures, and disciplines. With her Indian heritage, rooted in Jainism, and raised in America, she constantly seeks ways to connect traditional forms of expression with contemporary art. From Las Vegas to Los Angeles, from Bollywood to Hollywood, Mayuri’s artistic journey defies boundaries.
A national figure skating champion, she made history as the first South Asian figure skater to appear on Indian national television through her groundbreaking project Bollywood on Ice. She later gained recognition in Indian television shows like Dare 2 Dance and has worked with celebrated Bollywood actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Hrithik Roshan.
Today, Mayuri’s artistry extends far beyond the rink. She is an actor, dancer, and filmmaker, known for performances in Nightingale (Prime), and Just Dance (Star Plus). Her voice has been featured in global productions including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony), Ms. Marvel (Disney), Shantaram (Apple TV+), and various Netflix projects. Her short film BINDI earned acclaim at festivals in Athens, Berlin, Seattle, and Los Angeles, and her work was recently showcased at the United Nations Women’s Event in Los Angeles.
Through dance, live music, poetry, and storytelling, Mayuri challenges the Western narrative surrounding yoga. Yoga, which began in ancient India, is a system of physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines. The Indian sage Patanjali, regarded as the founder of yoga, systematized its principles in the Yoga Sutras. In the West, however, this ancient philosophy is often reduced to mere stretching exercises, stripped of its original roots. Many Westerners are not even aware of the fact that yoga is thousands of years old Hindu practice.
Out of this understanding emerged Mayuri’s acclaimed solo performance, The Anti Yogi: Liberation Not Lululemon a playful yet thought-provoking exploration of the contrast between yoga as a sacred spiritual path and yoga as a commercial product. In this solo piece, she unites everything she embodies: dance, dramedy, live percussion, and poetry, weaving these art forms into one powerful, cohesive narrative.
The show has been praised for its originality and authenticity, earning recognition not only in the United States but also internationally. After premiering in California, The Anti Yogi was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it received enthusiastic responses for its humor, honesty, and social depth.
Fluent in Hindi, Marwari, Urdu, and Marathi, Mayuri brings her multilingual and multicultural identity to every project she undertakes. Her artistic mission is clear: to tell authentic stories of the South Asian diaspora and other marginalized communities, and to rekindle the spiritual essence that connects body, mind, and soul.
In The Anti Yogi, she explores how identity, commerce, and colonial history intersect. The performance acts as a mirror to Western yoga culture. “A yogi is not a skinny woman in Lululemon, but someone who renounces worldly life in pursuit of truth.”
The result is an immersive performance about spirituality and cultural identity, one that invites honesty about Hindu spiritual practices. It also gives a platform to voices that are often overlooked, particularly within the South Asian community, whose deep-rooted connection to yoga has been overshadowed by Western commercialization.