From The Corner Of Her Eye : The Many Histories Of Bharatanatyam by Justin Mccarthy

One of India's most important dance forms, Bharatanatyam was created in the 20th century by selectively re-fashioning the dance traditions that preceded it. The generations of women from professional dance communities who carried the dance into the modern era are largely forgotten today. What explains the importance of these traditional dancers in the great South Indian temples and courts, streets and even countryside? How have some of the most recognizable features of the dance, like its half-sitting, open-kneed stance and its wrenching love songs travelled miraculously intact down the centuries? Why were traditional dancers, who came to be known as devadasis, stigmatized, and how did they weather social ostracism and moral outrage? How did this dance become an upper and newly emerging middle class pursuit? Justin McCarthy, a practitioner and teacher of Bharatanatyam, teases out these fascinating stories in this beautifully written, accessible book, at once a cultural and social history. He brings alive celebrated figures from myth and history. There is the celestial Urvashi, dancing through ancient lore. There is the court dancer Madhavi, the anti-heroine of Tamil epics. There is Muddupalani, an 18th century dancer and author of a shockingly erotic poem. There is Rukmini Devi, one of the first non-hereditary dancers. There is Balasaraswati, virtually the only hereditary dancer to sail brightly through the dance as it changed names and hands. But what about the anonymous dancer we see sculpted in stone, one hip slightly out to the side, a candid look on her face? And the unknown dancer painted in a festive scene, all eyes on her as she finishes a jumping step with a flourish? Or the nameless dancer in early studio photography, staring at the camera with apprehensive de!ance? As this book looks for what may have slipped between the cracks, this is also very much their story. Juggernaut Books