Purnima Shah

Purnima Shah is a Teaching Professor of Dance at Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, leading the Dance Program since 2014. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2000) and an M.A. from UCLA (1992). Her research focuses on South Asian dance traditions, particularly Garba’s global evolution, Bhakti devotional performance, and Kathak’s contemporary choreography. She has directed DukeEngage in India since 2017, fostering cultural exchange through community projects. Notable grants include support from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation for studies on Garba dance and goddess worship in Gujarat.

Her artistic works include the film Dancing with the Goddess (2016) and dance productions like Oh, Shakti!. Awards include Duke’s Richard K. Lublin Distinguished Teaching Award (2013). Research interests span ritual ethnology, gender expression in performance, and dance’s role in societal narratives.

• Key Projects: Garba dance globalization, Kathak’s historical evolution
• Recent Grants: 2017 Duke MD Biddle Institutional Support, 2007-2009 Garba research grants