parul shah
Internationally acclaimed Kathak dancer and choreographer Parul Shah of the Parul Shah Dance Company expands the classical medium beyond cultural boundaries. With a focus on excellence, Shah builds upon the dance form’s mythological storytelling roots to share narratives based on her lived experiences. The nucleus of her work as a choreographer and performer has been to disrupt narratives and cultural trappings that undermine the dignity of South Asian women. Shah draws upon the rich tradition of the North Indian classical dance, Kathak, for resistance, artistry, and personal agency. Her work tells stories of women pushing against their boundaries, women who have been forgotten, and women whose labor is often invisible. To tell these stories, she has created a dance language that expands the technique of Indian dance to uproot male-dominated and Eurocentric narratives while forging resiliency and healing.
Trained in India by the late groundbreaking choreographer Padma Vibhushan Kumudini Lakhia, Shah has created unique ensemble and solo works that seamlessly blend her South Asian and American identities, contributing to a rich tapestry of Asian American artistic expression. Shah has presented her work around the world and at home to critical acclaim, including City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival (NYC), New Victory Theatre (NYC), Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Asia Society (NYC), Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Series (MA), Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), World Music Institute (NYC), Lincoln Center/Damrosch Park (NYC), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Japan Forum Foundation (Tokyo), and Suvarna Parva (India, Ahmedabad).
Committed to outreach and education, Parul’s studio is home to both the Parul Shah Dance Company and her training facility, where she has been building community for more than 20 years. Central to her work is fostering awareness and dialogue through artistic creations. She is currently an adjunct professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey and a member of the dance faculty at the South Asian Cultural Center in Northern New Jersey. Shah has guest lectured and held residencies at several universities, including Texas A&M University, New York University, Rutgers University, Hunter College, Barnard College, Amherst College, Vassar College, and Nichols College, among others. In addition, she has served on the faculty at Rutgers University, Marymount College, and Teachers College, Columbia University.
Beyond her work in performance and education, Shah has been a curator for over 15 years, notably co-curating the Erasing Borders Dance Festival in New York City. Her artistic residencies include Mass MoCA, The Yard, and the Fresh Tracks Residency at New York Live Arts.
Shah earned her B.A. in Political Science from New York University and an M.A. in Dance and Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Dance Education at Teachers College through the interdisciplinary specialization track. Her research challenges Eurocentric policies within dance institutions and advocates for the inclusion of diverse perspectives in dance education. Additional areas of interest include exploring dance as a cultural construct that embodies and reflects political, social, and national ideologies.
abstract
Abhinaya in Translation: Expression Across Contexts
Panel Discussion