Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1997. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 227-243).

This is a story of a cross-cultural dance exchange conceptualising myth as a living art through traditional Kathak dance form in collaboration with contemporary Aboriginal dance form, weaving and celebrating the reconciliation and independence of all people through male and female energy to evoke an ancient universal serpent energy. It continues the poetic traditions of interpretation which accompany the arts in both Indian and Aboriginal cultures. / Master of Arts (Hons)

ABSTRACT How can I as a Swedish dancer devoted to the Indian classical dance form, kathak, re root it into my own cultural sphere? And express topics beyond the Sub Indian continent without diluting the essence of the art form? I don’t want to create a new dance style.I don’t want to add anything. I want to explore and investigate how I within the tradition of kathak dance and Hindustani music can shuffle the classical format in order to create a longer narrative.  To create a dramaturgical nerve in the performance and take it further than the traditional short dances and compositions connected by being strung together on a basic rhythm. During this work I have followed different strands of evolution within me as a kathak dancers as well as personal experiences that has led up to this need of making it my kathak dance, rather than my Indian kathak dance. It’s also a close study of the relationship between a student and her master and how the master forces his student to mature to become her own master.  I want to use the kathak dance as an artistic expression to create performances based on topics interesting to me. I want to use the rhythmical patterns to enhance, elaborate and ornament the story told. How can I use the bols and sound from the kathak dance and Hindustani music? What happens if I instead of using bols create similar material but based on the Swedish language? The unexpected result of my research, the unexpected finding of what happened with me after I decided to drop India, and to focus my gaze to my own cultural space by being a native Swedish person living in Stockholm was that I lost my dance. I lost my geography.

The main research question of this project asks: what role does Indian classical dance play in the identity formation of second generation Canadian women of South Asian origin as they negotiate their identities as Canadians living in a multicultural country? The research question is analyzed through the theoretical frameworks of both citizenship theory, identity theory, and Bourdieu’s notions of ‘habitus’, ‘field’, and cultural capital. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with dancers of 2 main dance styles (“Kathak” and “Bharatnatyam”) and of various ages over 18. Interviews are also conducted with a dance teacher/creative director and a dance company coordinator. Findings indicate that Indian classical dance influences identity formation in 3 main ways: in the way that the participants embody the dance forms of Kathak and/or Bharatnatyam, in the way they form their identities as individuals, and in the way they form their identities as multicultural Canadians.

The main research question of this project asks: what role does Indian classical dance play in the identity formation of second generation Canadian women of South Asian origin as they negotiate their identities as Canadians living in a multicultural country? The research question is analyzed through the theoretical frameworks of both citizenship theory, identity theory, and Bourdieu’s notions of ‘habitus’, ‘field’, and cultural capital. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with dancers of 2 main dance styles (“Kathak” and “Bharatnatyam”) and of various ages over 18. Interviews are also conducted with a dance teacher/creative director and a dance company coordinator. Findings indicate that Indian classical dance influences identity formation in 3 main ways: in the way that the participants embody the dance forms of Kathak and/or Bharatnatyam, in the way they form their identities as individuals, and in the way they form their identities as multicultural Canadians.