Customer Reviews

Indian Classical Dance: Tradition in Transition

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This is more than just a coffee table book, its a great compilation of the past, present and future of Indian classical dance. The author has done a fabulous job presenting a brief outlook for all the major classical styles. It might look overwhelming to a novice but its truly a pleasant read.

WOW - what a fabulous book - a large book full of colourful images covering 7 of the Classical Indian dance styles including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Mohini Attam, Manipuri and Kuchipudi. The book is an excellent historical reference taking the reader back to the days when the devadasi was an honoured position in society, pays homage to the early gurus and dancers, how the dances were affected during political and governmental changes and brings the reader to the present era, mentioning some of the great dance school initators and how the dances have evolved with time to once again honour the many dancers who've persevered in keeping the Indian classical dance tradition alive.

This book is fabulous. It covers Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Mohini Attam, Manipuri, and Kuchipudi. There are lots of beautiful photos, close-up and full-length, of various dancers. I spent much time just admiring the beautiful costumes, folds, jewelry, and expressions. If you are interested, as I was, about who is pictured in the book, here's some artists of note: Balasaraswati, Malavika Sarukkai, Yamini Krishnamurti, VP Dhananjayan/Shanta, Mrinalini/Mallika Sarabhai, Leela Samson, Alarmel Valli, Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen, Sharon Lowen, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Deepti Omcheri Bhalla, Bimbawati, and Shobha Naidu.

I was surprised by the detail given for each form regarding its history. There are lots of names and places explained, basic overviews given of the names of sections of a performance, discussions of the current state of each dance form, and more. I was extremely impressed with the way each dance form is covered in such detail yet so succinctly.

It's interesting that not all the top names in each of the dance forms are mentioned, a fact which the book admits in the preface with "many famous dancers do not find mention in this book, which mainly looks at trends rather than individuals."