Kirov Academy of Ballet Workshops

2012 Kirov Academy Academic Year

Indian dance workshops provided for grades 1-8, including a men’s class

Kirov Academy of Ballet

4301 Harewood Rd NE, Washington, DC 20017

Spilling Ink: Vijay Palaparty & Nalini Prakash

Spilling Ink joined Kirov Academy of Ballet as instructors of classical Indian dance in their academic year of 2012. Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash taught multiple classes, with ages ranging from the beginning of elementary school, to soon-to-be high school graduates. Vijay and Nalini focused on bringing an understanding of the cultural roots of Indian dance, and its diverse sets of movements, instructing students in footwork, hand gestures and facial expressions. This practice helped bring a more wholistic understanding of various dance practices to the ballet academy students, and encourage types of movement they had not encountered before.

Vijay Palaparty, Spilling Ink Founder / Co-Artistic Director

CLASS FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS

“Students love this class! Demonstrations are awesome and students find it helpful so they know what things should look like. Students like learning about the culture. Everything is explained in detail, and students like that. Movements have stories, and students like that. Students like the guest teacher. Students like the outfits the teachers wear.”

— Class 7-8

“Really fun class. Students feel like they could use more time to get the steps ingrained in their bodies. Students like how Ms. Prakash focused on sections…feet first, then hands, then putting it all together. Students found this approach really helpful. Students love learning about the culture along with the dancing too.”

— Class 5-6

“Class is so much fun! Teachers are really nice. Dancers love learning about the culture. Students love being able to ask questions. They like the open dialogue. Dancers realize this is a unique experience that they will probably never have again. Dancers would like to do more acting and facial expressions in this class. Teachers are super nice. Dancers like having the different teachers.”

— Class 3-4 B

“Students loved the guest teacher, students liked the improvisation in that class. Students like the warm up that Mr. Vijay does. All students would like to do more warm up and practice technique. Students want to dance more. The hand symbols were fun to learn. Students like learning about the history and culture. Some students feel a little lost and that the class moves fast.”

— Class 3-4 A

“Really fun class. Students haven’t had many classes yet, but they like what they’ve done so far. Some of the hand positions are really hard for the dancers. Some students are worried that they won’t have a good role in the performance and won’t get to dance much. Dancers feel the class is very interesting, students feel like the teachers are making an effort to make them feel involved. Students would like more time to learn movements themselves instead of just following the teacher. The dancers feel like the style changes sometimes with the different teachers and it can be confusing.”

— Class 1-2

“This class is so fun! Boys love this class. The hand motions are interesting. It really helps the boys’ coordination. It’s challenging. It’s a good experience and awesome to have this cultural exposure. The variety is a lot of fun.”

— Men's Class