Paper short abstract:

The paper deals with idea and practice of Indian classical dance in various styles as most important cultural heritage, national and regional brand. Conceptions of “Indian Antiquity”, “past glory” and “museum of dance” will be discussed on broad social profile of ethnographic field of dance in India today.

Paper long abstract:

In vast diversity of Indian dance traditions today there are styles with strong "personalities": highly codified gestures, body movements, costumes, make-up and compositions. They belong to the so called "classical dances" (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi etc), which idea emerged in 1930-40s and was aimed to up-lift the social and cultural status of dance and dancers. Both Indian and foreign performers and philosophers (Tedh Shown, Menaka, Rukmini Devi, I.Rahman, A.Coomaraswamy, M.Khokar, A.M. Raj, M. Sarabhai) shaped the images of "Indian classical dance" and distinct regional styles. In short time period (1920-1950s) the ideas of "Indian Antiquity" and "past glory" came into being, and changed the profile of ethnographic field of dance in India. Classical dance in India, as well as in Europe, happened to be a certain kind of reflection the past - it's utopian image, vision and re-construction. But the idea of "classicism" in dance and idea of modernism ("contemporarity") emerged and developed simultaneously in case of India. While certain segments of dance practice in each tradition were codified and even frozen, creating peculiar "museums of dance", cultural heritage, other parts developed and are under perpetual transformation. The debate of "classicism" is still central to dance discourses in India today, partly due to cultural outlook of cultural politics of the country. One of the reasons is the need for state and regional representation: the dance styles serves as symbols of "Indianness" and are installed into educational scholarship. However it sometimes contradicts with endeavor and strategies of artistic groups and dancing communities.