Indian Modern Dance, Feminism and Transnationalism - (New World Choreographies) by Prarthana Purkayastha (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Indian Modern Dance, Feminism and Transnationalism examines modern dance in India as it emerged simultaneously and in parallel with European and North American modernism in the twentieth century. Through rare archival photographs and interviews with artists, this volume charts the travels and movements over a hundred-year period (1900-2000) of five Indian artists - Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Uday Shankar (1900-1977), Shanti Bardhan (1916-1954), Manjusri Chaki-Sircar (1934-2000) and Ranjabati Sircar (1963-1999) - across and beyond national and international borders. The volume draws attention to how these transnational journeys significantly impacted on the artists' experimental and political dances and how a clearly feminist consciousness was developed through the dancing body. This book celebrates the revolutionary nature and transformative potential of modern dance within an Indian context. "--

Book Synopsis

This book examines modern dance as a form of embodied resistance to political and cultural nationalism in India through the works of five selected modern dance makers: Rabindranath Tagore, Uday Shankar, Shanti Bardhan, Manjusri Chaki Sircar and Ranjabati Sircar.

Review Quotes

"The originality of the arguments and the impressive archival material make for a compelling book. This is a commendable and much-needed addition to the scholarship on South Asian performance, dance history, and theories of modernity, and it is certain to be of interest to a wide range of practitioners and scholars." (Anurima Banerji, Dance Researh Journal, Vol. 48 (2), August, 2016)

"This book is a notable endeavour that fills in a significant part of twentieth-century dance history, which, according to Purkayastha, has been written off. ... This book is certainly an important addition not only to dance and performance studies, but also cultural and postcolonial studies, due to its interdisciplinary approach. ... the book raises issues pertinent to dance today, in both contemporary and classical genres." (Sabina Sweta Sen, Studies in Theatre and Performance, Vol. 35(3), 2015)

About the Author

Prarthana Purkayastha is Lecturer in Theatre and Performance at Plymouth University, UK. Her previous publications include articles in journals such as Studies in South Asian Film and Media, Dance Research Journal and South Asia Research.