Guru or Teacher? Shishya or Student? Pedagogic Shifts in South Asian Dance Training in India and Britain
2007; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 27; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1177/026272800602700102
ISSN1741-3141
Autores Tópico(s)Sports, Gender, and Society
ResumoThe guru-shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition) has underpinned training in South Asian dance for generations. This article examines aspects of the tradition which make it problematic in today's society and global diasporic context, particularly the gurukula system, in which the disciple spends extensive time with the guru. Fundamental aspects of the parampara continue to be perpetuated, however, in diverse teaching contexts in India, particularly in the significance of lineage and the aims for a holistic dance education. Drawing on fieldwork in India, at Kathak Kendra and Kalakshetra, state-supported Kathak and Bharatanatyam academies, and among independent gurus, the article examines the extent to which aspects of the parampara are being perpetuated and/or transformed today. In Britain, at the same time, grappling with local, national and transnational multicultural environments, the South Asian dance community has begun to shape new dance pedagogies as it works to integrate Kathak and Bharatanatyam into the mainstream. Research highlights how teaching methodologies and conceptualisations of the body in South Asian dance are being influenced by western dance pedagogies, now spread through the UK-based dance journal Pulse and international exchanges.
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