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The Dancing God: Staging Hindu Dance in Australia charts the sensational and historic journey of de-provincialising and popularising Hindu dance in Australia. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, colonialism, orientalism and nationalism came together in various combinations to make traditional Hindu temple dance into a global art form. The intricately symbolic Hindu dance in its vital form was virtually unseen and unknown in Australia until an Australian impresario, Louise Lightfoot, brought it onto the stage. Her experimental changes, which modernised Kathakali dance through her pioneering collaboration with Indian dancer Ananda Shivaram, moved the Hindu dance from the sphere of ritualistic practice to formalised stage art. Amit Sarwal argues that this movement enabled both the authentic Hindu dance and dancer to gain recognition worldwide and created in his persona a cultural guru and ambassador on the global stage. Ideal for anyone with an interest in global dance, The Dancing God is an in-depth study of how a unique dance form evolved in the meeting of travellers and cultures.
Migration of the South Asian peoples to Australia has resulted in a continually growing and flourishing diaspora, one of the most prosperous communities, with an ever–increasing role and responsibility in all areas of society. One of the challenges in writing about the South Asian diaspora in Australia is the nature of the beast: the multifarious migration and entry points into Australia range from colonial indentured workers to political asylum seekers to transnational marriages to students and high–end professionals. How did their journeys and experiences generate bridges that have influenced the historical, cultural, social and academic perceptions of the ever–changing continents? It is hoped that this critical anthology will help present a dynamic community in transit, and showcase the achievements of the South Asian diaspora during the last decade, which have not only made a significant impact on Australia’s multiculutural landscape but also furthered South Asian–Australian engagement.
This book analyses the metaphysical and poetical notions and the processes of ‘rooting into a culture’ and ‘routing out of a culture’ in the context of South Asian diaspora in Australia. These diasporic narratives are often characterised by bifurcated and dislocated identities that exist in a liminal space, in-between two identities, two cultures, and two histories. Yet, ‘home’ remains, through acts of imagination, remembering and re-creation, an important reference point. The author argues that a clearer notion of politics of location is required to distinguish between the different kinds of ‘dislocation’ the immigrants suffer, both psychologically and sociologically. The diaspora is Australia is an under-studied topic, and this book fills a lacuna in South Asian diaspora studies by analysing and calling upon a wide range of works in this field from historical, anthropological, sociological, cultural, and literary studies.
Today, Indian dance in Australia is represented by professional dance artists, companies, schools, and amateur community groups. They have, over the years, performed both traditional classical works as well as Bollywood pieces, and participated in various dance and cultural festivals organised throughout Australia. Louise Lightfoot, an Australian architect turned ballet teacher, is credited with successfully promoting a range of Indian classical dance forms. Lightfoot as a dedicated impresario for Ananda Shivaram, Rajkumar Priyagopal Singh, and Ibetombi Devi, urged Australian audiences not to see Indian dance as just an ancient, mysterious, and spiritual art form, but try to truly understand the value of this complex art of Indian dance and culture in order to strengthen cultural bonds. This book brings together Lightfoot’s thirty-three essays, reflecting her broader worldview as a dancer, choreographer, and impresario. Louise’s essays segue into each other and echo her various encounters with India and its diverse cultural conditions, beliefs and philosophies.
Mass immigration post World War II has transformed Australian society and politics. This is indeed a far cry from the vision of the architects of the 'White Australia' policy over a hundred years ago. This volume explores this dramatic change by examining the politics of the peopling of Australia dating from the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, the so-called 'White Australia' policy which sought to forge the Australian nation as a 'citadel of the British speaking race' (Prime Minister Curtin). The book examines how critical issues of race and immigration still haunt the political landscape even as we find an increasingly cosmopolitan Australia becoming more Asian oriented. As a study of this unique and successful experiment in creating a diverse and multicultural society, this book will be useful to anyone interested in what drives and sustains a diverse and pluralistic society.
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The Celestial Dancers: Manipuri Dance on Australian Stage charts the momentous journey of the popularization of Manipur’s Hindu dances in Australia. Tradition has it that the people of Manipur, a northeastern state of India, are descended from the celestial gandharvas, dance and music blessed among them as a God’s gift. The intricately symbolic Hindu dances of Manipur in their original religious forms were virtually unseen and unknown outside India until an Australian impresario, Louise Lightfoot, brought them to the stage in the 1950s. Her experimental changes through a pioneering collaboration with dancers Rajkumar Priyagopal Singh and Ibetombi Devi modernized Manipuri dance for presen...
Reprint of the original, first published in 1861.
Papers presented at the International Conference on 'Public Diplomacy in Theory and Practice : Culture, Information and Interpretation in Australia-India Relations', held at India International Centre, New Delhi during 8-9 April 2011.
The Englishness of English literature had been expressed in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott, those writers whose works seemed best to embody the spirit of the place or the spirit of its folk. In what writers or works would the Australianness of Australian literature be discovered? (David Carter 1997)--------This first literary Reader on Australian studies from India not only investigates this central question but explores many other facets of Australian literature and especially Australian cross-cultural relationships with India and Asia. Taking a broad view of what Australian literature is, this Reader explores the dimensions of Australian literature (national, Aborigi...