This unit of Accelerated Motion aims to help students develop an understanding and appreciation of the composite identities of Bharatanatyam dance through an examination of both its historical and technical dimensions. Students will view dance from a range of sources, read scholarly analyses of socio-historical issues, and engage in reflective activities and essay writing related to Bharatanatyam. From its origins in its courtly home -- the town of Thanjavur, South India -- the form has developed into a fully transnational art, and the story of its transformation is central to understanding its aesthetic dimesions.
- Start
- Primary Sources
- Introduction
- 1.) Devadasis in South India
- 2.) Nattuvanars
- 3.) Temple Performance
- 4.) The Dance Traditions of Thanjavur and Courtly Patronage of Devadasi Dance
- 5.) Social Reform and the Disenfranchisement of Devadasis
- 6.) Technique
- 7.) New Dance for New Audiences: The Global Flows of Bharatanatyam
- Comment on this module