This dissertation is dedicated to theorizing the Debaprasad Das stylistic lineage of Indian classical Odissi dance. Odissi is one of the seven classical Indian dance forms recognized by the Indian government. Each of these dance forms underwent a twentieth century “revival” whereby it was codified and recontextualized from pre-existing ritualistic and popular movement practices to a performance art form suitable for the proscenium stage. The 1950s revival of Odissi dance in India ultimately led to four stylistic lineage branches of Odissi, each named after the corresponding founding pioneer of the tradition.
I argue that the theorization of a dance lineage should be inclusive of the history of the lineage, its stylistic vestiges and philosophies as embodied through its aesthetic characteristics, as well as its interpretation, and transmission by present-day practitioners. In my theorization of the Debaprasad Das lineage of Odissi, I draw upon Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the habitus, and argue that Guru Debaprasad Das's vision of Odissi dance was informed by the socio-political backdrop of Oriya nationalism, in the context of which he choreographed, but also resisted the heavy emphasis on coastal Oriya culture of the Oriya nationalist movement.
My methodology for the project has been ethnographic, supported by original archival research. In the second chapter, I examine the twentieth century history of this stylistic lineage in the context of the Odissi revival of the 1950s, and in the third chapter, I examine the life and artistic work of its founder, the late Guru Debaprasad Das. The fourth chapter is dedicated to analyzing the stylistic characteristics distinct to this style of Odissi, and examining some of the underlying politics of representation, classicism, and regional affiliations which have informed the repertoire and movement lexicon of this lineage. I point to how this lineage has been historically marginalized in scholarship, discourse, and the international stage, and analyze some of the reasons for this marginalization. The fifth and sixth chapter are dedicated to the current practice of the lineage, including pedagogical practices by current teachers, as well as examination of the creation and performance of new repertoire pieces within this lineage, and the various contexts in which this style of Odissi is performed globally. Ultimately, I examine the divergent artistic voices from within the Debaprasad Das lineage itself and argue that the Debaprasad Das lineage of Odissi is itself marked by heterogeneity via multiple and often divergent understandings of the philosophies of the late Guru Debaprasad Das.
Set against rich descriptions of sociopolitical realities in urban areas, Rose Martin’s Women, Dance, and Revolution examines contemporary dance practice in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine. Drawing on her multisited research between 2009 and 2014, Martin provides an observant glimpse into the dance journeys of eight women choreographers and the sociocultural milieu in which they work. The resulting text traces the contemporary dance experience arising from specific social and political situations.Martin, with her own background in contemporary dance and dance pedagogy, brings focus to contemporary dance practice in these countries, highlighting the understudied area of women’s performance in the Levant and North Africa. The recent notable exceptions include Talking Dance, by Nicholas Rowe and Ralph Buck (2014), which brings together interviews with practitioners of contemporary dance and artists practicing in several other dance disciplines. There is a small but active contemporary dance community and several festivals, such as the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival (Palestine), Beirut International Platform of Dance (Lebanon), and the Dancing on the Edge Festival (the Netherlands), that showcase contemporary dance from these regions. Women, Dance, and Revolution is unique in its focus on women’s experiences. Throughout the book Martin examines the doubly marginalized area of contemporary dance performance in the Southern Mediterranean and women’s experience within this field.Martin favors the term Southern Mediterranean, which stems from the approach in Talking Dance (2014), to describe the Levant and North Africa. She contends that the label Middle East is Eurocentric and politically charged (98). She uses geography and seas as descriptive reference points instead. She aims to catalyze a rethinking of stereotypes in relation to women in dance in this region by interweaving through her own story her specific journeys and encounters with women. This multisited approach provides a glimpse into the heterogeneity of the contemporary dance experience in the Southern Mediterranean, as well as into the broad spectrum of contemporary dance experience in each location. Her methodology consists of interviews, participant observation in dance classes, workshops, seminars, and informal discussions with dancers.Martin’s ethnography provides a richly detailed picture of the region’s contemporary dance scene, such as in her description of a class in the Martha Graham technique of modern dance in Cairo’s Opera House dance studio. The heterogeneity of the contemporary dance experience is reflected in the diversity of training infrastructure. While some locations had institutions imparting professional training in contemporary dance at the time of her fieldwork, other cities offered no avenue for dancers wishing to pursue professional training. Travel deeply framed several of the dancers’ stories, since they had acquired professional training at dance institutions in Europe or North America. Martin also discusses the dancers’ experiences with infrastructural and social changes resulting from political upheavals and revolutions.Women, Dance, and Revolution is essentially a study of individual experiences in terms of subject and approach. Martin structures each chapter around the primary account of the experiences of a dancer combined with her observations. While connective threads emerge through the experiences of the different dancers, Martin does not artificially tie them together. She uses her interviews and observations in multiple field sites to present the dancers’ individual experiences rather than make generalizable conclusions. Martin indicates early in the book that she was driven by a desire to communicate the integrity of the interviewees’ experiences (15) and does so without mediating via critical theories. She maintains that “there was never any intention for these stories to speak for the entire dancing population of the Southern Mediterranean” (16). This approach lends a refreshing centrality to the subject’s story. Choreographic works are described in the choreographers’ voices or by Martin herself without analytic engagement with the choreographic text, illustrating Martin’s devotion primarily to the dancer’s journey. The chapters include photographs taken by Amber Hunt and Arnaud Stephenson featuring the choreographers in a setting of their choice, such as in the studio, in the outdoors, or at home. These photos, in line with Martin’s larger project, counter several stereotypes.A reader may want more sociopolitical background to situate the experiences of the dancers, though Martin’s objective is to present a “layered account” (22) rather than provide a detailed account of the politics of the region. This approach remains consistent throughout, with contextual notes referring to political movements in the countries where she conducted fieldwork. This allows Martin to foreground the immediacy of the dancers’ stories and feature dance as an act of resistance, including dancing despite a ban or expressing political subtexts in choreography. As Martin points out, these women believe that their work makes a difference, even if small, and creates a foundation for future generations (160).Women, Dance, and Revolution is a valuable contribution to the scant literature available on contemporary dance practice in the Southern Mediterranean. The book recognizes this artistic movement in this region, thereby addressing a long-standing gap in dance studies and performance studies, whose focus is frequently state folk-dance ensembles or the solo performance genre of raks sharqi (“oriental dance,” also known as “belly dance”) in the context of women’s movement traditions. Giving voice to the women choreographers and providing observant portraits of contemporary dance experiences, the book is useful in Middle East studies, gender studies, sociology, and related disciplines and enables future critical study of this area.
