This unique work is an annotated collection and collation of Western writing on Indian dance from the period of Marco Polo’s travels to India to the formulation of the anti-devadasi bill in 1930, and a little beyond. The book reproduces more than 250 extracts from important texts, which provide examples of how dance in India was perceived as an art, as well its position in the broader cultural, religious, social, and ethical environment. Though some excerpts from these texts are cited in other writings on Indian dance history, there is no other available work that reproduces such a large number of historical writings on Indian dance and places them in a fluid historical context.
Author(s): Donovan Roebert
Publisher: Jenny Stanford Publishing
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 556
City: Singapore
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Prelude: 1298–1711
Chapter 2: Sightings, Viewings, Explications, and Opinions: 1770–1830
Chapter 3: Writings from the Bengal Presidency: 1813–1837
Chapter 4: The Decade of Encounter: 1830–1840
Chapter 5: The Beginnings of the Repetitive Narrative: 1840–1850
Chapter 6: Beautiful Bodies, Graceful Dances, Moral Dilemmas: 1855–1860
Chapter 7: Getting to Grips with the Bayadère: 1860–1870
Chapter 8: A Royal Performance and Other Perceptions:1870–1880
Chapter 9: A Slowly Brewing Storm: 1880–1890
Chapter 10: A Detour to the Ethnic Exhibitions and Shows:1880s–1920s
Chapter 11: Dancing in India in the Storm of Reform: 1890–1900
Chapter 12: Loathing, Examination, Analysis, and Appreciation: 1900–1910
Chapter 13: A Decade of Contradiction and Appropriation: 1910–1920
Chapter 14: The Beginning of the End: 1920–1930
Postscript
Index
