Bells of Change: Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity In India (Paperback)
This is the first critical study of Kathak dance. Bells of Change traces two centuries of Kathak, from the colonial nautch dance to classical Kathak under nationalism and post-colonialism to transnationalism and globalization. Reorienting dance to focus on the lived experiences of dancers from a wide cross-section of society, the book narrates the history of Kathak from baijis and tawaifs to the global stage.
Pallabi Chakravorty is Assistant Professor in the Dept of Music and Dance at Swarthmore College, USA. Founder and artistic director of Courtyard Dancers, she is an anthropologist, dancer, choreographer, and cultural worker.