Caste dynamics in classical dance: History vs. Narratives | Aranyani Bhargav | TEDxDTU
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2017
- NOTE FROM TED: It has been brought to the attention of Aranyani, the speaker in this video, that the term “devadasi” is now considered to be an inappropriate term for the Isai Vellalar community mentioned in the video. In light of this, she has requested that we add this disclaimer and inform viewers that the appropriate term is “hereditary courtesan dance communities".
She would also like to add that this was intended to be an introductory talk that only skims the surface of a deeply complex and sensitive history. For more on a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the history of the Isai Vellalar community, please refer to works by scholars such as Saskia Kersenboom, Amrit Srinivasan, Avanthi Meduri, Janet O’Shea, Anne Marie Gaston, Janaki Nair, and Davesh Soneji, among others.
Finally, it is not the intention of Aranyani or TEDxDTU to hurt the sentiments of or spread misinformation about any community. Our intention is to encourage conversation and spread awareness about Bharatanatyam’s complex history and its culturally diverse practitioners through the course of this history."
Acclaimed Dance choreographer and scholar Ms. Bhargav discusses how dance movements have been deeply affected by the societal dynamics of the relevant times. As a true reflection of the cultural atmosphere, dance not only pleased aesthetic sensibilities, but also served as a mirror to society.
Aranyani Bhargav is a dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director of Vyuti Dance company, which does exploratory work in Bharatanatyam by incorporating modernity into tradition. She is the only classical dancer of her generation to experiment with Bharatanatyam through contact-based group work. Her work has been reviewed as "an astonishing product" and an "organic conversation between tradition and modernity".
Aranyani has also been a proficient soloist for over 15 years and has performed throughout India and all over the world. Her distinctive approach to Bharatanatyam as being simultaneously ancient and modern, traditional and contemporary, spiritual and secular has made her popular amidst a wide range of Indian and international audiences. She is also deeply committed to an academic engagement with dance.
In addition, Aranyani is a dance scholar, researcher and teacher. She has studied at Oxford University where she wrote a thesis on the multiple modernities of Bharatanatyam.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
Excellent expozre of mainstream dance art form! Ms Bharvav did a great job. It should be part the narrative to democratize caste by eradicating the caste system as Dr. Ambedkar fought and died for! Thank Ms Arayani Bharvav!
Whoever has edited the video hasn't done a great job, so many times they kept showing the dancers' feet, when her entire angika abhinaya should have been shown. Please do take care next time before editing thus fact. We missed seeing so many important and transiting mudras and abhinaya of the presentator, bcz the video showed only her legs at some point🤦🏽
One thing I would like to point out , if these women had freedom independence and artistry, who expressed themselves freely through their temple dance and slightly unconventional life, why are they being classified as “lower” caste?
Either the classification is wrong and that there was nothing higher or lower about their typification, or this assignment of being “lower caste” is a british or foreign interpretation which we later stuck to sadly …
I mean, when the British themselves enforced the caste system onto us by selectively giving provileges to higher castes and sending lower castes as indentured laborers to plantations which were there equivalent of concentration camps and driving us against each other, I am not surprised that the temple dancers were classified as low caste by the British
There's no historical evidence that temple dancers were low caste before colonization as they were respected to the likeness of nobility and divinity. They managed everytime from temple rituals, processions, teaching fine arts and languages to children of higher background and so much more. They even served as advisors and lecturers in Royal courts. There's many evidences that point in history that caste system was nowhere nearly as enforced in pre-colonial eras vs when the British came
Alienation is sad reality... all tags come along "dark" or "insincere" students and other allegations .... they dont even need to be challeneged if so said by the "polished" so called. Very average dancers are praised coming from "elite" upper society. Rest of us are just riding on the pride they garner .... free loaders. There is no acknowledgement of such alienation. No other caste is decent? Sincere? Hardworking? Definitely very discouraging and demotivating stuff comes from the gatekeepers of classical
@@vigneshnehru9822 Yeah, temple dance was ritual offering to god same like Japanese shrine maiden dance.
This is so sad...exchanging one narrative for another is a giant missed opportunity for understanding Devadasi Heritage but to appropriate Papavinasha Mudaliyar's Ninda Stuti (1650-1725CE) for the purpose of one's own contemporary idiosyncracies is pathetic... Ever seen the murti of Tyagarajasvami in his Tiruvarur temple... ?
When the roots of Sathir, runs strong and deep in the Tamil culture, how did its Tamil origin get overshadowed? First, a new name (Bharatha Natyam ) is given to this ancient dance form, followed by an elegant explanation for this new name (Bhava, Raga, Thala). Eventually, even the origin is attributed to someone (Bharatha Muni ), who happens to have a name very similar to this new name for the dance. Combining all these elements, a beautiful and elegant mythology is fabricated, which when repeated enough number of times, is accepted as fact, by the majority. Before mindlessly repeating this myth, the Tamils need to pause and ponder on the effect of this myth. For, the net effect of this myth, whether perpetuated intentionally or unintentionally, is to distort and deny the Tamil roots of Bharatha Natyam (Sathir).
Meyporul kural Not just Tamil roots but also the non-brahminical roots of it. How the Brahmins usurped the dance form while bootlicking the British. The Brahmins usurped the dance form because the British were intrigued by it. Due to their belief in their own “superiority” ascribed to them by their own religion, the Brahmins couldn’t accept the fact that the British, who they believed to be superior due to their skin color, found this art form, which they themselves looked down upon, as intriguing. As per their religion only things pertaining to the Brahmin could be worth intrigue. So they usurped the art form. They also spun mythologies around it to give their claim more legitimacy.
@@manmeetmeshram8107 excellent
Audio seems low volume... In the beginning when you talk...
Since I do not know the subject but it is wonderful and confident expressions overall, be it of history of Bharat Natyam or castism, etc. It is the courageous unwinding of certain facts. For me, it was like unveiling the thick layer of cast consciousness and its side effects wrt the history of this noble dance form. This topic should be discussed in a more democratic way.
I agree
The very definition of Bharatanatyam is wrongly understood as the modern day abbreviation format as Bhavam, Ragam and Thalam is a layman's interpretation of a very deeply intricate artform. Bharata muni who wrote the Natyasastra is the one who proposed the audio-visual entertainment in the form of drama(dance, dialogue, music). Owing to his name and his extensive work on dramaturgy, Bharatanatyam is called so. Bharata's Natyam is Bharata Natyam. Tell me, all you classical dancers, aren't you aware of the term Rasa? We do not use Bhava in place of rasa and the very aim of this art from is Rasa and not Bhava. Then why would the name of this classical form emerge from Bhava?
I needed to know this!!!
thank you........ I can't thank you enough
Oh my! This is pure gold. What a simple presentation and yet so impactful!
Fantastic! Superb explanation and with such poise and elegance, that of a classical dancer. Thankyou.
Everyone seeks refinement. But, "Education" will lift some and toss some. Guess who will be on stage (Bhargav) vs those who will be tossed off (A NON-Bhargav)? Surname/Caste is a reality. Why Education and training of any kind is considered a privilege? British have their own misinformed lens is flawed. But, the ill lens of an existing hierarchical society is so deliberate, but never is to be blamed? The best answer to that is NO ONE takes responsibility for botching and smothering others to make a refined and clean space for themselves. I am aware those tossed.... payers of education are called not good-looking enough, not polished enough and any degree is invisible (check the pay scale - returns on investment). One is singled out and demoralized after paying heavily for training. No scope vs false hope.
I trust you are a dancer too.
Initially thought this was boring and pointless but actually it was entertaining and interesting
She's so accurate about things people are afraid to talk about. Let more subaltern discussions pave way for a democratic discourse.
It is intellectual dishonesty on her part to appropriate the history of the devadasis when they were so exploited.
I’m sorry for this comment I wasn’t well informed I read so much later and I’ve corrected myself.. I did not want to delete the comment so I’m apologising for this stand I took. I agree
What is there in this video?
muslims ofc ll take intrest in this lol
It is also sad that the dance is obstructed by the annoying big TED ad in the back. Just a reminder of how commercial profit motive spoils art.
Yes sad thing is that we inherited restrictions from conservative people who ruled us. Today western society has moved on and opened up. We on the other hand still hold on to inherited values.
This is a part if casteist mentality. Casteism is not a western concept, indian society has been casteist long before the brits arrived. Indians (mostly uppercaste) still believe this as it takes away the blame from them.
@@DevyaniMulik not really, Christians have the feudal system, while Muslims have the sectarian conflicts. Britishers aggravated the caste system, read real history not reel one, Ms.Mulik.
@@infinite5795 What real history.What about theethu
Some small aspects were wrong but agree on her main points
Excellent notes from Aranyani! Thanks for sharing some thoughts about the art form. Also exploring the history of art forms itself is exciting. Splendid, a journey from Sadir attam, Dasi attam and the ultimately Bharat natyam (Bhava, Raga, Taal) your explanation underlines these name transitions.
Excellent performance and an explanation to throw some light on the history - I leave the negative comments and appreciate the rendering flawlessly in a way even a layman could appreciate it.
Speechless... Good explanation. But video editor is avarage.
So, did classical Indian music suffered the same fate?
How sad to know of the true Bharatanatyam origins. Today Indians teaching this form of dance won't accept to teach easily any kids who want to learn as you can with ballet or any other dance form. There is always entry requirements by family which explains the complications of perception of this fine dance and the devastating influences of the British on a culture they understood nothing of! Basically it appears, the rascals forced this dance form away from the people who developed and perfected it and tried to legitimize the dance form with Brahminism!
Elegant 👍
Can I say whatever Aranyani said also as her own way of interpreting devadasi system and Bharatanatyam.
Saying as if Bhakti oriented dancing is not progressive or backward is so weird. No where it is said that non bhakti emotions are a sin. The ppl who are crying that Devdasis have lost their credentials are the same ppl who criticized this system too. They just shift the goal post according to the audience.
We have so many narratives around Bharata natyam, now it is hard to belief who is right. Need to read somewhere between the lines to understand the real history.
dont wanna be rude but ughh the editing was poor and dont get me started on camera work. its one of the worst
if i get a chance, ill give my best to do as much as professional
this entire talk is in English, and the speaker is finding it wierd that sanskrit and natya shastra is linked with Bharatanatyam. Upper and lower again are English words. How do we so easily embrace a Victorian language but not our own? The so called ' upper' caste ( if at all they feel or made to feel upper) have always appreciated the heros of other castes worshipped as God's and accepting literary works of other castes as great works and sometimes as history of the country itself. Why is the speaker creating unnecessary divide herself? Talk not about caste but about the importance of uplifting our culture today again against foreign influences.
"Accepting literary works of other castes"?
It's called stealing if credits are not given to the respective creators.
@@cjoseph1943 either your comprehension skills are weak or you are funded. Actually it may be both.
@@nithya170 @Nithya Aanand 1. Let's leave the subject of Ted Talk to speaker. N I think she did a really good job on shedding some light on the originality of the dance. She even gave materials to read further on this (avail in the description). She did a good job.
2.Perhaps, you can save your prattles about my "comprehension skills and funding status". You're welcomed to post your counter argument about the subject of my comment. I'm sorry that I have to tell u this but, commenting about my personal skills is not constructive at any point.
Sanskrit is not everybody's language in Indian subcontinent... Even before invasions..
@nithya why this personal attack on Joseph? Exactly the entitlement on your part by calling someone "weak" or "funded." Joseph had a point.
trying do not use surname
What an insincere lady who talks against caste but happily uses her caste name for all the benefits it bestows on her.
So many facts are incorrect and very misleading interpretations of Indian history from half baked evidences. This video actually needs to be taken down. A disclaimer is not enough
Well the patrons could have supported these dancers without fucking them. Don't make everything a fault of the british. Strange way of defining freedom - when most of the devdasis used to be under were 5 or 6 years old before their fate was sealed. If it was so free and respectable why did not high-born donated their own daughters to the temples, there are only one or two such examples of high-born Devdasis, and obviously they were not abused the way lowborn Devdasis were treated. It was child prostitution plain and simple and thank god the british did something about it.
Devadasis were treated equal to the gods as they had all the rights of the god in the temple. You are comparing devadasi system of north to the devadasi system of south. Here the whole conversation of devadasi's related to bharathanatyam( originally sadir attam) Just go through the Tanjore big temple's inscriptions, which holds a thousand year old history that says devadasi's were treated as government employees with monthly salary, house and cattle for themselves to live a luxurious life even if there was a draught. That was a family tradition and thats how the art forms are surived even after a millennium... And FYI kids were not considered as devadasis, as to learn this art form itself takes 10- 12 years and those days they had to sing and dance and they had all the right to leave being a devadasi whenevr they wanted... This was how devadasis in Ancient tamilakam were treated and I have no idea about other places.
is this TEDx or some kind of Atrocity literature, is this the correct platform for one sided criticism! Although constructive criticism is always welcome but History and narratives are something which are highly debatable on both sides!
plz address ur grouse
Appropriation in the century looks bad yeh! Thief.
Absolutely. FOr decades we have only heard the Bhraminical Discourse and their history. Now it is time to hear out the other side, the side of the oppressed.
Devadasi system was barbaric.British or no British.
Indian accent noticed
Really?
What kind of make-belief stories this woman is telling?
Does she have any evidence to back it up?
Stop abusing Hindu culture, Tedx.