Disruptive Collaboration

In the final episode of the fall season, Ivan Pulinkala, professor of dance in the College of the Arts, and interim  provost and vice president for academic affairs, was the featured guest. As a choreographic artist and dance educator and scholar, he presented his choreographic technique of working with interdisciplinary collaborators in a process he terms disruptive collaborations. He showcased three recent choreographic works that demonstrate this technique in which he engages disciplinary collaborators in a process sequencing that changes the outcome of the choreographic product. 

Originally from New Delhi, India, Pulinkala has worked professionally in the field of dance and musical theater both in India and the U.S. He was the artistic director of his own dance company for three years in India, served as choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre for five years, and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the millennium by the India Today’s December 1999 issue. 

His work has been commissioned by professional and collegiate dance companies such as the Israel Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Alliance Theatre, Washington University at St. Louis, Shanghai Normal University, the University of South Carolina, among many others. His choreographic interest lies in altering physical space through collaborations with visual artists to create unique physical elements that are explored through his work. 

Learn more about Dr. Pulinkala!

Pulinkala joined Kennesaw State University in 2005 where he founded KSU’s Department of Dance, a program he developed into the largest collegiate dance program in Georgia. He also was instrumental in the development of the Dance Theater on the KSU’s Marietta Campus, Atlanta’s first theater designed specifically for dance. He served as the department’s first chair until he became dean of the College of the Arts in 2019 and then took on the interim provost role in 2021. 

Pulinkala has received arts grants in both India and the U.S., and he has served as a guest artist for a number of professional companies and university programs.  A distinguished leader in the arts community, he received his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama. 

Learn more about Dr. Pulinkala!