India's Dances: Their History, Technique and Repertoire

The dances of India are among the oldest dance genres still widely practiced today. In recent years they have become increasingly known and appreciated all over the world. This book details the history of the several styles of Indian dance and gives an account of the cultural, religious, social and political factors which influenced their growth and development. There are fascinating side-lights on the etiquette and mores of Indian society. Many of the myths and legends which form the subject matter of the dances are recounted and theories suggested to explain their inspiration and sources.

This is a comprehensive survey of readers who want to relate the classical dances to the broader background of Indian culture. For students, Indian and non-Indian, it provides valuable historic and technical information; and for dance lovers it serves as a guide telling them what to look for in a performance. There is, in addition, an overview of India's many folk dances. The glossary of terms germane to the different styles is a useful adjunct as is the bibliography.

In the latter part of this book the achievements of leading Delhi-based dancers are recorded and, at the sametime, new talent is readily recognized.

Written by an acknowledged authority, India's Dances, is quite simply, a definitive volume on some of this country's most enduring contributions to world culture.

About the Author:

Reginald Massey has studied South Asia's culture, religions, music, dance, film, history and politics for over fifty years. His books on Indian dance and music are standard works. He has written for leading international journals and has been a Dancing Times critic for over three decades. Leading reference works such as The Encyclopaedia of Dance and Ballet and Everyman's Encyclopaedia contain his rigorously researched entries.

He wrote and produced Bangladesh I Love You, a film starring the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Lament of a Lost Hero and Other Poems, a selection of his verse, chronicles and comments on various aspects of Indian society and politics since Independence.

In 2002, he was invited by the Edinburgh International Festival to deliver the keynote address to inaugurate the Indian dance season.

Born in Lahore, then in British India, he now lives in Wales. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.