Indian dance is a vast topic: aside from the highly sophisticated technique and tradition manifest in the eight ‘classical’ forms, there are numerous ‘non-classical’ forms, and it exists within a complex web of social, temporal, religious and artistic spheres, which Western cultures have historically failed to understand. International dance critic Alastair Macaulay openly and unsurprisingly admitted that where Indian dance is concerned he is an ‘outsider’, but interestingly, Shobana Jeyasingh, who comes from India and trained in Bharatanatyam, said that although she is an ‘insider’, in some respects she too is an ‘outsider’.

Jeyasingh began by explaining the four means of means of communication through the body: tension, rhythm, emotion and decoration. Her demonstration of the rotation of the arm in a gesture that originates in back and makes it strong as steel had many of us in the audience trying it out as we sat. Jeyasingh continued by explaining more about the dance’s rhythmic patterns, its flavours or nuances, and the integral significance of costume and makeup. Macaulay generously shared images of dance and dancers drawn from his own travels, which showed the importance of the often lengthy and elaborate preparation, as well as the dance itself.

The narrative aspects of the dance, the sound of bells and bare feet, the gorgeous adornment and the gracefully sinuous movement that contains energy powerfully within the body are utterly seductive features, but there is far more to this ‘painful and difficult’ art form than entertainment. Jeyasingh and Macaulay spoke of the collision between Eastern and Western of cultures that have completely different understandings of the purpose of dance and the role of the dancer in society. It remains hard for Europeans to comprehend the status and context of the historical devadasis because the concept of the hetaira or courtesan with religious standing is such an alien notion to us.

Macaulay and Jeyasingh touched at several points on questions of authenticity and appropriation and the revivalist concept of ‘classicism’, which may be used to confer authority and value. Colonialism alienated Indians from their own dance culture, and its subsequent rediscovery as an embodiment of Indian identity has seen its adoption by more privileged classes: it is a politicised and contested art form, which ironically has sometimes sought Western validation by claiming links to ancient Sanskrit texts. This approach is not the only way forward: an extract from the film Outlander (1916), which Jeyasingh created for performance at the San Giorgio monastery in front of Paolo Veronese’s Wedding at Cana, demonstrated an alternative contemporaneous response to cultural challenge that was specific to both time and place.

The subsequent Q&A session, chaired by DANSOX Director Professor Sue Jones, brought out the astonishing depth and breadth of Indian dance, and the way in which it is embedded in society. Although in such a short time we barely scratched the surface of this huge subject, I left the JdP feeling a little like an anthropologist returning from the field: learning about less familiar dance forms sheds light on those we think we know better and I shall view Western, as well as Indian, dance with new eyes. Thank you St Hilda’s College, and thank you DANSOX, for an enthralling evening.

Maggie Watson

29th February 2024