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Dance Of Freedom: A Short History Of Bharata Natyam
In Dance of Freedom, renowned dancer and choreographer Leela Samson explores one of India’s oldest, most revered classical dance forms, Bharata Natyam. Tracing its origins to the earliest devadasis performing in the ancient temples of Tamil Nadu, she follows its flourishing passage through the imperial court of Thanjavur, its marginalization and eventual resurgence under British rule, and its glorious arrival on the public stage in the twentieth century at the Music Academy in Madras, as Chennai was then known. Paying homage to the most significant contributors to its artistic trajectory, from the Tanjore Quartet and the Kalyani sisters to Rukmini Devi Arundale, she describes how each of them have guided the dance form, with its expressive display of emotions and stylized storytelling, along the eventful path to its present stature. She asks: how is it that this ancient art has endured over millennia, and continues to flourish today? The answer, she says, lies in its inclusivity. Bharata Natyam is a reflection of the aesthetic and culture of the nation that is India, absorbing its many musical forms, literary texts, and languages. This concise telling of its history is an impassioned and deeply personal celebration of the dance form by one of its foremost practitioners.
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Rukmini Devi: A Life
On 30 December 1935, thirty-one year old Rukmini Devi created history with her performance of Sadir, later known as Bharata Natyam, which had until then been confined to temple precincts and was the preserve of devadasis. A celebrated artiste and dancer, she was also a Theosophist, a composer of acclaimed dance-dramas, an educationist, an animal welfare and child rights activist, and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. This rich biography illuminates her many lives. Rukmini???s early life was in the districts of Madras presidency where her father, an engineer, was posted, and it took many dramatic turns: her marriage in 1920 to George Arundale, a Theosophist and family friend, caused public outrage, particularly among the Madras brahmins. She was closely associated with Annie Besant, who became her mentor, and her meeting with Anna Pavlova inspired her to learn dance. Rukmini went on to establish Kalakshetra, an academy of arts, in 1936, which grew and flourished, and is renowned to this day for its classicism in dance training and performance???a tribute to her skill as an institution builder.