Parul Shah

About

PARUL SHAH, artistic director of the parul shah dance company, utilizes performance and education to promote cultural awareness and explore stories around identity. Based in New York City, Shah’s work as an educator and choreographer is committed to shining a light on
marginalized communities and giving voice to stories that go unheard. Her repertoire draws from her classical training in the North Indian classical dance tradition, Kathak, while building on the dance form’s mythological storytelling roots to explore contemporary narratives. As an educator, Shah has been a teaching artist, studio teacher, and guest lecturer at universities for over two decades. Central to her work is fostering awareness and dialogue through artistic
creation. She is currently an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, NJ, a teaching artist for City Lore, NYC, and is on the dance faculty at Kulture Kool, NJ, where she has been teaching for 12 years. Shah has guest lectured and held residencies in several universities,
including A&M University, New York University, Rutgers University, Hunter College, Barnard College, Amherst College, and Nichols College to name a few. In addition, she has served on the faculty at Rutgers University and Teachers College, Columbia University. Adjacent to her
educational career, Shah has been a curator for more than 15 years and is a co-curator for the Erasing Borders Dance Festival in NYC.

Shah has presented her work around the world and at home to critical acclaim, including City Center’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.

Shah has earned her B.A. in Political Science from New York University and her M.A. in Dance & Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is excited to continue her studies as a doctoral student in the Ed.D. Dance Education program at Teachers College through
the interdisciplinary specialization track. Shah’s research focus is to challenge Euro-centric dance institutional policies and recognize diverse perspectives in dance education. Her other research interest includes examining dance as a construct of culture embodying political, social,
and national ideologies.