Vijay Palaparty

🪔 About

Vijay Palaparty is a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer and choreographer whose performance works have been presented across the US, Canada, India, and Australia. He received his initial training in the classical South Indian Kuchipudi form from Dr. K. Uma Rama Rao at Lasya Priya in Hyderabad. He furthered his Bharatanatyam studies with Professor Sudharani Raghupathy of Shree Bharatalaya in Chennai, having initially begun with Padma Rajagopal from Nupur Anjali School of Dance in Cleveland. Palaparty continues his dance training under the guidance of Nalini Prakash and Padma S. Raghavan from Silambam, Mylapore, in Chennai. Palaparty is the founder and co-artistic director of Spilling Ink, a Washington, D.C.-based multi-arts organization. Through Spilling Ink, he produces projects rooted in classical Indian dance forms, often integrating elements of literary and visual arts, and curates performances, residencies, and community initiatives that connect dance, music, visual art, and literature with themes of identity, history, healing, and belonging. He has collaborated with institutions such as the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. Beyond his artistic endeavors, Palaparty holds a significant academic background, including a Bachelor's and two Master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, an MBA from the University of Maryland, and a Master's Degree in International Affairs from The New School. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Design from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in partnership with Parsons School of Design/The New School. He also serves as a Senior Communications Specialist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. Palaparty has been awarded multiple artist fellowships, a Young Artist Program award, and critical project support grants from the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He also received the MADURA KALAMANI AWARD in 2024. He has worked as an educational mentor for nearly two decades with Gateway to the Arts and Class Acts Arts, reaching thousands of students through arts education programs. Awards & Honours: Artist Fellowship from the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Young Artist Program award from the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Critical project support grants from the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities, MADURA KALAMANI AWARD (2024).