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Purnima Shah

Professor of the Practice of Dance
Dance Program
Box 90686, Durham, NC 27708-0686
2020 Campus Drive, Suite 209, Durham, NC 27708

Research Interests


Garba Dance in the Globalized World
Bhakti (Devotional) Genre of Indian Dance-Theatre
South Asian Dance in the Diaspora
Dance in Society / Social Choreography
Kathak dance

Selected Grants


Dance MD Biddle 2017 Proposal

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 2017 - 2017

The Garba Dance and Goddess Worship in Gujarat, India

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Mary Duke Biddle Foundation · 2007 - 2009

The Garba Dance and Goddess Worship in Gujarat, India

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2007 - 2009

Fellowships, Gifts, and Supported Research


Visiting Artist Grant · 2010 - 2011 Awarded by: Duke Council for the Arts Duke Council for the Arts Grant towards the Oddisi dance residency with renowned dancer, Sujata Mohapatra
Duke University Major Faculty Collaborative Grant · 2009 - 2010 Principal Investigator · Awarded by: Duke Council for the Arts

External Relationships


  • Alexander Street, ProQuest

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.