Dance

Know Your Classical Dances: How Bharatnatyam, rooted in temple dances of Devdasis, contributes to nation's sociopolitical climate

The trajectory of Bharatnatyam, as cultural evolution of a dance form and the political makings of a nation state, provides a fascinating glimpse.

An open letter to Madhuri Dixit: 'Please carry forward Pandit Birju Maharaj's cultural legacy'

Madhuri Dixit, only you, have the power pull and magnetism to convince youngsters to look towards the classical arts for creative sustenance.

Birju Maharaj on living, breathing and dreaming Kathak: 'Art will never betray you'

"Don't do Kathak in haste. Don't go for an item [dance number]. It hurts the complete emotion of doing. Items will happen, applause will come in too; instead, go steady, let the art mature": Pandit Birju Maharaj's parting words from a 2017 exclusive interview.

Despite often 'failing' Bechdel test, women-centered duets present dance as a site for gender-informed dialogue

While the test of course suffers from deficits, which have been extensively discussed by many film scholars, can it be used to analyse dance duets as a form of embodied conversation?

In Sofia Coppola's film on New York City Ballet's spring gala, every step of the way tells a story without words

Sofia Coppola's films have always had an understated choreographic elegance. Even though they are not about dance, that is exactly what they do: They dance.

Jacques d’Amboise, ballet legend who provided free education for decades, passes away at 86

D’Amboise died on Sunday at his New York City home from complications of a stroke.

Usha Iyer on her book Dancing Women, a deep dive into the material and cultural production of dance in Hindi cinema

Through her latest book, Usha Iyer provides an in-depth and discursive study of the history of the labour of producing on-screen dance — from the 1930s to the 1990s — and how over the years it has produced unique constructions of gender, sexuality, stardom and spectacle in and around the realm of Hindi cinema.

India's Best Dancer judges Malaika Arora, Terence Lewis, Geeta Kapur discuss upcoming grand finale

India's Best Dancer, launched on 29 February, will air the grand finale episode on 22 November at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

As Indian classical dancers go online in lockdown, an initiation of critical dialogue on the insularity of their craft

The pandemic has shown that it can subvert the long-held narratives around the practice of classical dances, to have a critical self-reflective voice, which has remained largely absent thus far.

Saroj Khan passes away: The innovative choreographer reinvented form to make dance widely accessible

It is perhaps easy to draw great dance out of great dancers like Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. But Saroj Khan made even the heavy-footed dance with abandon.