Contemporary dance is constantly changing to include influences from different genres, cultures and artists. In the late twentieth century, Asian dance became popular and began to appear in different styles of theatre including within the creation of Contemporary dance works. British choreographer, Akram Khan was one of the leading artists in this movement, including the Asian dance style of Kathak with western contemporary techniques. Although there was a surge in the need for Asian dance fusion in the late 1990s, this fascination with Asian traditions and culture started a century before with the choreographers of ballet followed by the modern dance practitioners of America.
Exotic world
During the nineteenth century in Europe both Classical and Romantic ballet showed a fashion for oriental themes. Although exoticism was the main interest, costumes and plots also suggested an Asian culture. An example of this is in Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère (1877) where a ballerina (Carlotta Grisi) wore a short choli with bare midriff. A later production of the same ballet shows Marie Taglioni wearing a long floating stole, pearl necklaces, bracelets, forehead decoration, a skirt with three hems and a loose strip of fabric over her shoulder. Both costumes suggest an influence from traditional Indian/Asian costume, in particular, a reference to Kathak: a genre that is demonstrated in contemporary dance over a century after.
This interest continued into the twentieth century with choreographers such as Michel Fokine of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes who choreographed La Dieu Bleu (1912). Fokine moved away from traditional ballet techniques creating the foundations of expressionist modern dance. His movements included angular poses of the limbs, turned-up palms and curved fingers associated with Hindu sculpture.
Asian Dance in Britain
In the 1970s there was a large-scale migration of Asian families to Britain. This was largely due to the expulsion of all Asians in Uganda by dictator Idi Amin. This gave the arts that wanted to include Asian aesthetics more audience as many people saw it as a way of keeping ties to their homeland. This also allowed many Western artists to experiment with Asian culture and traditions. In 1972 the Bhavan Institute opened, hosting lessons and workshops in Asian dance styles. This helped the genre to gain recognition as a professional alternative to ballet; a recognition that contemporary dance was also demanding with the newly established London School of Contemporary Dance (LSCD).
In 1979 a Mohini dance named Tara Rajkumar founded the Academy of Indian Dance (now known as Akademi) to build audiences and awareness for the genre. The organisation became the driving force behind funding for Asian dance forms from the Arts Council of England and established new policies toward how Asian performance should be viewed within Britain. During the 1980s there was a surge of interest towards South Asian dance that allowed companies to establish and tour alongside contemporary artists.
Dance Festivals
In the 1990s interest and confidence in the inclusion of Asian dance in programmes increased significantly and is demonstrated through Akademi’s festivals organised in prestigious venues. Such festivals include the Coming of Age which took place at the South Bank Centre, London (2001); the symposium, Unwrapped, at the Royal Opera House (2002) which looked at South Asian aesthetics within Britain; and Escapade (2003) which also took place at the South Bank Centre. The festivals included a variety of works by different artists showing a variety of Asian genres such as Bollywood, martial arts and Kathak and demonstrated that Asian dance could be included as a mainstream style of dance for both performance and educational purposes.
Dance Education
It is clear that with such a rich and varied culture included in Britain, our education should reflect and embrace such cultures. The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), a provider of vocational dance examinations in Britain, now offers grades in Bharata Natyam and Kathak. You may also study Asian dance at Higher Education level where some institutions include a module in South Asian Dance as part of a degree. Most significantly, the London School of Contemporary Dance launched a BA Honours degree in Contemporary Dance, with Asian dance as a specialism in 2004.
Source
- Jordan, Stephanie (1992) Striding Out: Aspects of Contemporary and New Dance in Britain, Dance Books: London
- Sanders, Lorna (2004) Akram Khan’s Rush: Creative Insights, Dance Books: London
Amy Watson - Amy-Louise is Artistic Director of the dance theatre company 90 Degree Rotations and has a PGCE in Dance Teaching.
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