I'm Aanya Sharan
From India to America, from loss to expression, and from a little girl who loved to create to the person I am becoming.
Before I Was Born
My story began even before I was born.
Before me, my parents experienced the heartbreak of three miscarriages. When I finally arrived, I wasn't just their first child — I was their long-awaited hope, joy, and a new beginning.
When I was only 18 months old, my family packed our lives and moved from India to the United States. I was too young to understand what it meant to leave one country and begin again in another, but that move would become an important part of who I am. I have grown up in America while carrying my Indian heritage, traditions, and culture with me.
Some of my earliest memories are connected to my family. When I was three, I watched my father graduate — a moment I would later understand represented perseverance, hard work, and the courage to begin again. Then came one of the happiest additions to my life: my little sister. In 2017, I became a big sister, adding a completely new role to my story.
First performance, 2017
Kathak performance, August 2026
When Dance Found Me
Not every chapter of growing up was easy.
When I was five and a half, I lost my paternal grandmother. She wasn't simply my grandmother; she was one of the people I felt closest to emotionally. Losing her at such a young age left a space in my life that I didn't know how to explain.
And somewhere in that difficult chapter, I found dance — or perhaps dance found me.
I began learning Bollywood dance, and movement became a way for me to express emotions that I couldn't always put into words. At six and a half, I began professional training in Kathak, one of India's classical dance forms.
What started as learning steps slowly became years of discipline, practice, rhythm, expression, and connection to my culture. Today, I am a trained Kathak dancer and continue to perform Bollywood dance as well.
But one of my favorite parts of my dance journey is no longer just performing myself. I now get to choreograph and work with younger children, helping them learn routines and watching their confidence grow. There is something special about being able to give younger dancers the same joy that dance once gave me.
Little hands at work
Art today
Then I Found Another Language: Art
Dance isn't the only way I love to express myself.
I have always been curious about art. Instead of waiting for someone to teach me, I started teaching myself. I watched YouTube videos, experimented with pencils and paints, practiced sketching, made mistakes, tried again, and kept discovering new techniques.
There wasn't one moment when I suddenly decided, I'm an artist. It happened slowly — with every sketch, every painting, and every new technique I wanted to try.
As my interest grew, I wanted to understand art beyond what I could teach myself. Today, I attend art school, where I am learning to refine my techniques, explore different mediums and styles, and develop something even more important — my own artistic voice.
More Than One Dream
As I grow older, I have realized that I don't want my story to fit neatly into one box.
I am a dancer. I am an artist. I am a choreographer. I am a student. I am an Indian-American girl growing up between two cultures. And increasingly, I am someone who is fascinated by stories, people, ideas, journalism, communication, and the power of words.
Dance allows me to tell stories through movement. Painting allows me to tell stories through images. Writing allows me to tell stories through words. Maybe that is the thread connecting everything I love: storytelling.
And I'm Just Getting Started
My journey so far has taught me that some of the most meaningful parts of who we become can grow from unexpected places.
Loss introduced me to dance. Curiosity introduced me to art. Growing up between India and America gave me different cultures and perspectives through which to see the world. Teaching younger dancers showed me the joy of sharing what I know.
This website is a collection of those stories — some told through my paintings, some through dance, some through photographs, and some through my words. This is where I will document what I create, what I learn, what inspires me, and who I become along the way.
This is my story so far. And I'm only getting started.
Want to connect?
Whether you love my paintings, want to know more about my dance work, or just want to say hi — I'd love to hear from you!
Get in Touch