Episode Notes

parul shah dance company (kathakdance.com) Parul Shah (@parulshahdanceco) • Instagram photos and videos

Show Highlights

(0:03:24) The Benefits of dancing without Music

(0:04:52) The importance of movement to stand on its own/support

(0:05:38) The sequence of narrative, movement, and music

(0:10:39) The crux of all of Parul's work: A lens of empathy

(0:13:03) Relating Historical narratives to current day issues

(0:16:24) Representing Kathak in the dance community

(0:17:22) Creating work with a social message

(0:19:38) Being Pigeonholed/Competing for the same resources in the south asian community

(0:23:21) Why now is the right time for social change with dance

(0:28:46) Movement choices and storytelling

(0:34:04) Creating new asthetics from a foundation of Kathak

(0:35:44) How do you teach differently than how you were taught?

(0:37:51) What do you look for in your dancers?

(0:42:36) The duality of being yourself and a team player in a group choreography

(0:52:01) Empowering studnets to think for themselves

The parul shah dance company is a New York-based Kathak and contemporary dance company that expands the classical medium beyond cultural boundaries. Through performance and education, the company’s work harnesses the expressive power of Indian classical dance to promote cultural understanding and explore questions around identity and humanity. Artistic director Parul Shah is committed to shining a light on marginalized communities and giving voice to stories that go unheard. Her work focuses on cultural practices that undermine women's dignity and respect. Building on the dance form's mythological roots, Shah tells stories that are steeped in history as well as narratives that reveal today's lived experiences. Drawing from her classical training in the North Indian classical dance, Kathak, and her South Asian American identity, Shah uses her sources as she weaves in and out tradition discovering new aesthetics. The narrative guides Shah’s movement language as she searches for authentic expression. Examining the intersections of dance and culture, the company’s work reflects the embodiment of political, social, and national ideologies.

With a deep commitment to outreach and education, the company has been teaching studio classes, holding workshops, and residencies in all the educational sectors since 2000. As an active arts educator in public schools for nearly two decades, Shah is a teaching artist in schools across NYC boroughs and tries to reach underserved communities in the arts.

The parul shah dance company has presented around the world and at home to critical acclaim, including CityCenter’s Fall for Dance Festival: NYC, the New Victory Theatre: NYC, the Kennedy Center: Washington D.C, Jazz at Lincoln Center: NYC, Asia Society: NYC, Jacobs Pillow, Inside/ Out series: MA, World Music Institute: NYC, the Japan Forum Foundation: Tokyo, The United Nations Development Program: England and U.S, Suvarna Parva: India, Ahmedabad, and collaborative work in Europe. Shah has also been an Artist in Residence at Mass Mocha, a Teaching Residency for The Yard, and the Fresh Tracks’ Residency at New York Live Arts