For Priya Lisa Gonsalves – India’s first female hip hopper and street dancer – forming an all girls street dance troupe was always a cherished dream, one that she finally fulfilled with Urbanista last year. The girls all from different fields – make-up artist Payal Balse, college students Kezia Fernandes, Simone Louis and Giselle John – are trendy and of course, passionate about dancing.

Priya has been involved with street dancing for more than seven years and met her young dancing star members while judging a college dance competition. “I wanted a name that could be instantly related to female energy,” she explains, “since street dancing is not a classical form and referred to as an urban dance, I came up with the name Urbanista – which is a play on the word fashionista,” she beams proudly.

The Mumbai-based group is slowly becoming a regular at major city fests and recently shot a music video for an artist from New York. Priya looks at it as a positive social transformation. "Everything has a cause attached to it, most art forms are community and self esteem builders. It doesn’t mean that if you portray yourself as a social reformer you necessarily are one, nor does it mean that if you do not portray yourself like that, that you do not create vast social change that can trickle down through society. We are the first all girl street dance group, other girls watch us and feel inspired, we are strong, talented and work hard on our ventures," ,” she adds defiantly.

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