A heroine in the pangs of separation or a soul longing for the divine? Re-appropriated voices in the poetry of kathak dance repertoire
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RIS BIB ENDNOTEA heroine in the pangs of separation or a soul longing for the divine? Re-appropriated voices in the poetry of kathak dance repertoire
Publication date: 23.02.2017
The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 2016, 4 (2/2016), pp. 47 - 78
https://doi.org/10.4467/24506249PJ.16.010.6241Authors
A heroine in the pangs of separation or a soul longing for the divine? Re-appropriated voices in the poetry of kathak dance repertoire
The paper explores the ambivalent nature of poems that are part and parcel of the kathak dance repertoire in the context of a changing system of dance patronage during the 19th and 20th centuries in North India. Through a textual analysis of selected ṭhumrī songs, the author investigates the use of śṛṅgāra rasa (erotic sentiment) in this poetic genre in relation to its original, secular function and its interpretation in religious idioms. The comparison of traditional ṭhumrīs with the compositions prevalent on the modern, classical dance stage shall underline a shift in the character of kathak performance (from romantic, sensual and intimate to devotional and impersonal). The attempts to locate ṭhumrī in the shastric framework and to ‘purify’ the content of these poems from the imprints of its lineage with tawā’if s culture is examined as part of the process of reinventing kathak in response to the tastes of a new class of patrons and performers and matching this art to the vision of Indian cultural heritage, propagated by nationalists.
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Information: The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 2016, 4 (2/2016), pp. 47 - 78
Article type: Original article
Titles:
A heroine in the pangs of separation or a soul longing for the divine? Re-appropriated voices in the poetry of kathak dance repertoire
Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations of the Jagiellonian University, Grodzka 52 Street, 31-044 Krakow
Published at: 23.02.2017
Article status: Open
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