Although raised in Northern California, one of Gia's great loves is New York City and the myriad array of diverse life and opportunities for human connection it presents. She treats patients, teaches, and performs- with relentless devotion and attention- bridging her Vedic and tantric yogic practices with her life as a theatre artist and activist. She received her BA in psychology & English from NYU, honors in classical voice & piano from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with further pre-medical studies at Columbia University, Hunter University, actors training at The New Actors Workshop, and then continuing yogic studies. She received her 4-year Āyurvedic doctoral degree from Āyurved Sādhana Vidyālaya, after years of previous study in Āyurveda. Gia also spent some intermittent years working in neuroscience at NYU Medical Center.
Even with years of experience, Gia considers herself lucky to have gained any iota of knowledge she has thus far. The process is not always painless, nor would she ask for it to be. She lives her life openly, patiently, and joyfully, constantly aware of the intricate, eternally forming and unforming web of elemental interaction. If her life is nothing but an example of a balanced, joyful human being, navigating and bathing in the sea of prakriti (simply put: material existence); that will do. Though her higher hopes are to make a dent in the fight for justice for all living beings.
TEACHING Gia is currently on faculty at Āyurved Sādhana Vidyālaya, teaching Fundamentals of Ayurveda, Jyotiṣa, Sanksrit, and Tantra courses. Since 1998, much of her personal ritual of study has been devoted to practicing and then teaching meditation, yoga, healing and the Vedic sciences, in which she finds a deep confluence with her life work. Her yogic teaching practices are an interweaving of an array of studies from Vedic texts and healing modalities, informed by practices of meditation, mantra, japa, Ayurveda, Vedic astrology, and yogic living. She focuses on female-based tantric practices, as well as therapeutic yoga, helping former athletes reform and rebalance their bodies, minds & hearts in recovery from injury, trauma, and illness– as well as addiction in all forms.
She has been teaching piano, singing and acting to children and adults for almost 30 years. Gia is indebted to all her teachers for their love, support, and invaluable sharing of knowledge and secrets (as Bob Fosse said: "always part fun and part naughty"). These teachers include theatre dance masters Jeff Shade, Diane Laurenson, and Dana Moore- each of whom were mentored by Bob Fosse. Also to Andrejs Gailis of Shiva Centre in Latvia; and her continuing Ayurvedic mentor, Arun Deva. She currently studies Āyurveda, marmayoga, tantra & traditional female-based practices with Dr. Sumit Kesarkar of NLAM (National Library of Ayurvedic Medicine) -- and completed her formal training in Āyurveda with Dr. Bharat Vaidya at Āyurved Sadhana. Gia’s most beloved teachers are her parents John and Audrey Krahne who have showed her that the true path is unconditional love.
THEATRE Began as a musical theatre performer & gifted classical pianist. Early training in classical voice & piano culminated at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied opera, musical theatre and piano with Hermann LeRoux and John McCarthy. Favorite traditional roles from that era include Kathy in Company, a Player in Pippin and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. In 2010, she presented her solo dance piece, The Radiance, in collaboration with the kirtan artist Leraine Horstmanshoff and bhakti yoga teacher/owner of Shiva Centre, Jami Larson, in Salt Lake City. An ecstatically danced journey inspired by husband & wife team Dr. Lorin Roche & Camille Laurine's poetic interpretation of the ancient tantric text Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra: THE RADIANCE SUTRAS (video link).
In 2010, she joined the pacifist-anarchist collective, The Living Theatre in Korach and Seven Meditations on Political Sado-Masochism. Forever committed to actualizing the “The Beautiful Non-Violent Anarchist Revolution” both on the streets and through the sacredness of public assembly we create as performance artists. There she fell in love with and joined visionary director, teacher, composer and actor Carlo Altomare in re-establishing The Alchemical Theatre (1981-). Their first collaborative effort, Pure War / The Madness of the Day, part I of the trilogy Deus X Machina, was performed by the resident company of actors in December 2011.
In addition to being a company member of The Alchemical Theatre, Gia is a former dancer with General Mischief Dance Theatre, with Artistic Director Emily Vartanian. She performs mostly in New York City throughout the year with these groups and other independent collaborations.
ALCHEMICAL STUDIOS Current artistic director of Alchemical Studios at 50 West 17th St., which she runs with Carlo Altomare. The Alchemical is six beautiful white-box studios and a luscious rooftop which they designed and built. Artists can engage in the research & development of new works, teach classes & workshops, shoot film & photography, and share their work in public performances. We are also committed to offering space to the Black Lives Matter movement & activists in any way possible.
We are committed to developing the social potential of performance, and actively foster a real discourse between artists and the public. Since we regard the theatrical experience as a creative public assembly; the audience is an important partner in fulfilling our mission. Our events tend to attract other artists, affording the attending public a personal engagement rarely found in bigger, less colloquial spaces. By providing affordable creative spaces for emerging NYC artists in theatre, music & the visual arts, for rehearsals, performances, classes, workshops, readings, photo/video shoots & art exhibits– we strive to catalyze our dedication to research into the contemporary meaning and nature of live performance.
As an artist-run facility, we understand the importance of your work and strive to maintain a respectful, beautiful & constructive atmosphere to support the community of artists we serve, and are ourselves a part of.
Namaste, thank you for your interest.