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Temple Dancers
Dance in India was for thousands of years associated with Hindu
temples and the temple arts. Dancers were known as Devadasis (temple
dancers) or Bayadères. Dance was a sign of prosperity for
the temples and the stories told by the dancers were used to educate
ordinary people in the ways of the gods. Temple dancers lived
and worked in the temples and the dances were handed down by the
Devadasis and by dance teachers called Nuttuwanas.
Alongside this, a folk dance tradition developed in villages
across India and over the centuries many different forms of dance
evolved. Gradually, the reputation of the temple dancers became
associated with their skills as courtesans, although uniquely
among Indian women of the time, they were educated and could read,
write, sing and play musical instruments.
Tanjore Quartet
Because of its association with prostitution, temple dancing
(and temple dancers) was banned in the 19th century. Four brothers,
known as the Tanjore Quartet, were responsible for developing
Indian dance in this period. They systemised the dances of the
Bharata Natyam, the oldest traditional form of Indian dance, thought
to originate in the 9th and 10th centuries when many new temples
had been constructed. The choreography, stories and music chosen
by the Tanjore Quartet were based on the traditional movements
of the Devadasis and the myths of the poet
Tagore. This was seen as the golden age of Indian dance.
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First South Asian Dance in the UK
