Director, Nirva Shah
Teachers in any discipline play an integral role in the development of their pupils both within and outside of that field as they teach, mentor and guide their disciples. In the Indian culture, especially, in the classical arts, the teachers are given the title of Guru which adequately captures the transcendent, lifelong bond that the teacher and student establish during their in depth academic and often philosophic journey.
Background
Smt. Nirva Shah currently resides in Murphy, Texas with her husband, Sri Krushnakant Shah. She is the proud mother of 1 son, Dr. Parth and daughter-in-law Dr. Ankita. She is also the loving grandmother of two sweet boys Aarav and Avi. Smt. Nirva Shah earned her Master’s degree with distinction in भरतनाट्यम from M.S. University of Baroda, in Gujarat, India. She is a disciple of Smt, Anjali Mehr and has received further training from C.V. Chandrashekar, Guru Sri Kubernath Tanjorkar, Guru Pradeep and Sri Nargis Katpitia.
Awards
She has received numerous honors throughout her career including receiving accolades in the late 80’s from the Government of Gujarat for her choreography of her dance ballet “Sonal”. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Sringar Mani award by Sur Singer Samsad for distinguished achievement in dance. In 1994, she moved to the US and continued her passion of teaching dance. In 2006, she was requested to serve as a judge in the popular dance competition Boogie Woogie. In 2011, one of her groups was invited to participate in the Indian TV show, Chak Dhoom Dhoom. Despite her busy schedule, she has always had a passion to share her love of Indian dance and music through volunteering at countless community events, temples and organizations.
The School
Smt Nirva Shah established the Payal Dance Academy in India in 1979 and since that time, has trained over 600 students both in India and U.S.A. She has also published her own textbook, Nritya Samiksha, which is a theoretical review of भरतनाट्यम. While in India, she also held the position of honorary professor of भरतनाट्यम at Sardar Patel University and substitute dance professor at M.S. University in Baroda. She routinely choreographs and presents dances from Payal Dance Academy at festival events arranged by organizations such as the Hare Krishna Temple, Hindu Temple, Hanuman Temple, Gujarati Senior Society of Plano, Jain Senior Society, DFW Khadayata Samaj, among others. She also regularly volunteers to sing Garba and Raas music with her group during Navaratri.
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- Guru Nirva Shah
When I was young, I practiced two to three hours every day. When you have a passion for something, nothing can disturb you. That's why I love working with my students. There's so much energy!
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