Joyce K. Paul

🪔 About

Joyce Kakariyil Paul is an accomplished Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam dancer, exercise physiologist, and anthropologist from India. Born in New Delhi, India, she received her classical Bharatanatyam training at Kalakshetra, an esteemed institution. Her initial dance training was under Padmashri Leela Samson, with further tutelage from Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar and Prof. J. Janardhanan, among others. She also trained in Mohiniattam, the classical dance of Kerala. Paul began her teaching career in private Bharatanatyam classes as early as 1990, with the blessings of her guru, Leela Samson. After moving to Redmond, Washington, USA, to join Microsoft in 2001, she founded Arpan Performing Arts in 2003, an organization dedicated to promoting the folk and classical traditions of India. She serves as its creative director. Arpan Dance Theatre, based in Redmond, WA, focuses on providing exemplary dance education and a platform for students, emphasizing traditional dance study before exploring contemporary relevance. Beyond her dance career, Paul holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, specializing in the anthropology of performance. Her doctoral research included studies on dance-related injuries among Bharatanatyam dancers. She has leveraged her academic background in human exercise physiology and kinesiology to analyze temple dances scientifically and to inform her teaching methodology. Paul is also the founder of the Socially Conscious Artists Foundation (SCARF) and Abhivyakti Karyashaala. She has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Washington and as adjunct faculty at Cornish College of the Arts and Spectrum Dance Theatre. Her choreographic works often address social issues such as nature conservancy, domestic violence, mental health, and body image.