Lecture/Demonstration am Dies Academicus: Dance and Art

The Contested Use of Siva as Icon and Subject: Using the format of a lecture/demonstration, we offer a glimpse into the dancing forms of Śiva, especially Śiva Naṭarāja, whose position in Hindu mythology and Western understandings gained popularity through the writings of Ananda Coomaraswamy (1918) and Heinrich Zimmer (1946) in the early 20th century. The allure and power of the famous Naṭarāja icon, deeply implicated and foregrounded as the Lord of Dance in the nationalist revival of Indian dance in this period, remains until this day.
We illustrate how Śiva began to take centre stage in the dance form of Bhāratanāṭyam both in choreographies and in his presence onstage in sculptural form, providing a virile, hypermasculine ideal especially for male dancers. We show examples from Indian dancer Ram Gopal (1912-2003) as well as Rukmini Devi Arundale’s (1904-1986) new revivalist choreography on Śiva, titled Natanam Adinar (Tamiḻ: naṭaṉaṁ āṭiṉār).