| ID | 170180 |
| Title Proper | Performing Gender, Class and Nation |
| Other Title Information | Rukmini Devi Arundale and the Impact of Kalakshetra |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | McCann, Gillian |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Rukmini Devi Arundale, herself a choreographer and dancer, is considered one of the key figures in re-creating Bharatanatyam. Through her utopian arts colony, Kalakshetra, started during the movement towards Indian independence, she taught what she deemed to be a classical, religious and aesthetically pleasing form of dance. Her rejection of what she termed vulgarity and commercialism in dance reflects her Theosophical worldviews and her class position in a rapidly changing South India. The article examines the ways in which her understanding of Bharatanatyam developed in the context of contested forms of nationalism as a gender regime that contributed to creating proper middle-class, Hindu and Indian subjects. It also examines the impacts of this form of cultural heritage relating to gender, culture and nationalism in today’s globalised South Asian dance scenario. |
| `In' analytical Note | South Asia Research Vol. 39, No.3 Supplement; Nov 2019: p.61S-79S |
| Journal Source | South Asia Research 2019-11 39, 3 Suppleme |
| Key Words | Nationalism ; India ; Gender ; Bharatanatyam ; South India ; Dance ; Theosophy ; Class Habitus ; Kalakshetra ; Rukmini Devi Arundale |