This book aims at creating a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Indian dance and its cultural environment in India. The book is addressed to the general reader, dancer, and connoisseur, interested in the arts and traditions of India, where regional forms of dance rituals, dance-drama, folk dance, and classical dance forms have existed for centuries as an essential part of sacred rites and festivals, and as a classical art patronised and practised by the royalty.

Based on twelve years of research, this book provides detailed descriptions of the culture of folk theatre and outlines its importance for practitioners, audiences and the worldwide theatre industry, presenting a unique angle on selected performances.

India is a pioneer in Performing arts. This books deals with five classical dance forms of india in detai, viz., Bharatanatyam,Kathakali,orissi,manipuri and Kathak.

Throughout its history, the United States has become a new home for thousands of immigrants, all of whom have brought their own traditions and expressions of ethnicity. Not least among these customs are folk dances, which over time have become visual representations of cultural identity. Naturally, however, these dances have not existed in a vacuum. They have changed--in part as a response to ever-changing social identities, and in part as a reaction to deliberate manipulations by those within as well as outside of a particular culture. Compiled in great part from the author's own personal dance experience, this volume looks at how various cultures use dance as a visual representation of their identity, and how "traditional" dances change over time. It discusses several "parallel layers" of dance: dances performed at intra-cultural social occasions, dances used for representation or presentation, and folk dance performances. Individual chapters center on various immigrant cultures. Chiefly the work focuses on cultural representation and how it is sometimes manipulated. Key folk dance festivals in the United States and Canada are reviewed. Interviews with dancers, teachers, and others offer a first-hand perspective. An extensive bibliography encompasses concert programs and reviews as well as broader scholarly sources.

During the more than two decades publishing the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, we were fortunate to have Dr. Phillip Zarrilli on our Editorial Board. Internationally known for training actors through an infusion of Asian martial arts and yoga elements, he was a devoted teacher and theatre director/ performer. When he went to India at age 29 to study Kathakali dance, he was sidetracked after becoming captivated by kalaripayattu — the Indian martial art he studied in Kerala State. He eventually became the leading Western scholar who focused on martial arts and healing practice in south India. Just as we are finishing the preparation of this special anthology for publication, we learn that Dr. Zarrilli passed away on March 9, 2020. This work contains four of Dr. Zarrilli’s articles previously published in our journal. These are highly significant for anyone interested in Indian martial traditions and are of great value for comparative studies with other Asian martial arts. Dr. Zarrilli’s material here focuses on the combat arts of kalaripayattu and varma ati, and associated healing arts that encompass massage and herbal modalities. Those familiar with Far Eastern martial arts will find Dr. Zarrilli’s thorough presentation of vital spots and energy channels congruent with the theory and practices of acupuncture and the knowledge of energy meridians. Dr. Sara Schneider shares her experience studying kalaripayattu in Kerala as an American single female in a foreign culture. Her observations as a scholar are insightful. Although not recorded in her writing, it would be equally insightful to obtain the views of how the native guru, his family and students perceived her presence as a foreign academic researcher and martial art practitioner. Two more chapters broaden the coverage. Khilton Nongmaithem and Dainis Jirgensons present the martial art of Thang-Ta (“sword-spear”) as practiced in the northeastern state of Manipur. Their work also hints at the great depth and breadth of Indian martial traditions. Music and dance are natural companions with martial traditions. By looking at these art forms, Dr. Bandana Mukhopadhyay’s chapter brings out some essential elements that accompany the culture of warfare in India. We hope you will enjoy reading this special anthology — dedicated to Dr. Phillip Zarrilli.

Heir to a diverse array of traditions, the Indian subcontinent boasts customs that are distinguished by a constant juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern. The omnibus culture that has resulted from a rich history reflects an accommodation of ideas from across the globe and over time. This inviting narrative examines the tapestry of major events and beliefs that imbue everyday Indian life with vitality, and it presents the remarkable achievements in writing and the arts that have influenced individuals throughout the world.

Dance intersects with ethnicity in a powerful variety of ways and at a broad set of venues. Dance practices and attitudes about ethnicity have sometimes been the source of outright discord, as when African Americans were - and sometimes still are - told that their bodies are 'not right' for ballet, when Anglo Americans painted their faces black to perform in minstrel shows, when 19th century Christian missionaries banned the performance of particular native dance traditions throughout much of Polynesia, and when the Spanish conquistadors and church officials banned sacred Aztec dance rituals. More recently, dance performances became a locus of ethnic disunity in the former Yugoslavia as the Serbs of Bosnia attended dance concerts but only applauded for the Serbian dances, presaging the violent disintegration of that failed state. The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Ethnicity brings together scholars from across the globe in an investigation of what it means to define oneself in an ethnic category and how this category is performed and represented by dance as an ethnicity. Newly-commissioned for the volume, the chapters of the book place a reflective lens on dance and its context to examine the role of dance as performed embodiment of the historical moments and associated lived identities. In bringing modern dance and ballet into the conversation alongside forms more often considered ethnic, the chapters ask the reader to contemplate previous categories of folk, ethnic, classical, and modern. From this standpoint, the book considers how dance maintains, challenges, resists or in some cases evolves new forms of identity based on prior categories. Ultimately, the goal of the book is to acknowledge the depth of research that has been undertaken and to promote continued research and conceptualization of dance and its role in the creation of ethnicity. Dance and ethnicity is an increasingly active area of scholarly inquiry in dance studies and ethnomusicology alike and the need is great for serious scholarship to shape the contours of these debates. The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Ethnicity provides an authoritative and up-to-date survey of original research from leading experts which will set the tone for future scholarly conversation.