| Title: |
Indian Classical Dancers in the Diaspora: How Free Improvisation and Contact Improvisation Programs Help Enhance Dance Proficiency, Improvisation Competence, and Forming Multigroup Ethnic Identities |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Samta P. Pandya (ORCID 0000-0003-1304-5024) |
| Source: |
Journal of Dance Education. 2025 25(2):147-164. |
| Availability: |
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
18 |
| Publication Date: |
2025 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Indians; Immigrants; Dance; Self Concept; Females; Creative Activities; Dance Education; Cross Cultural Studies; Audiences; Aesthetics; Foreign Countries; Comparative Analysis; Ethnic Groups |
| Geographic Terms: |
Australia; Singapore; United Kingdom; United States |
| DOI: |
10.1080/15290824.2023.2283023 |
| ISSN: |
1529-0824; 2158-074X |
| Abstract: |
This article reports a quasi-experiment on the impact of contact improvisation (CI) sessions and free improvisation (FI) interfaces on dance proficiency, improvisation competence/output quality, and multigroup ethnic identity formation of Indian classical dancers in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, and Australia. FI participants reported higher scores on dance proficiency, improvisation competence, and multigroup ethnic identity formation compared to those who participated in the CI sessions. FI was most effective for diaspora female Indian classical dancers, Bharatanatyam dancers, dancers with 9-12 years of dance education, who had an advanced/higher diploma formal education in dance, who attended 21-40 (>50%) FI interfaces, and completed 21-40 (>50%) FI homework sessions. FI is a performance technique foregrounding spontaneity and a modality to augment the repertoire of Indian classical dances to speak to an international audience by adapting western aesthetics. It is a way to bring contemporariness into Indian classical dances and shape postcolonial dancer identities. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2025 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1474480 |
| Database: |
ERIC |