Amit Patel @_amitdances is a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A first generation born Indian American, Amit strives to fuse his cultures by bringing together different disciplines of dance, and has developed an unconventional style of dance called "Indian Contemporary" - something he fell in love with as he fused his diverse training in both Eastern and Western forms of dance. Amit is equally notable for his rebellious pieces in heels, known as “Bollywood Heels,” which challenge the norms of gender roles and sexual identity in dance.

Hear this excerpt of Amit talking about the gender appropriation that takes place in various dance forms, and the need to create conversations within and about dance to reexamine these gender roles.