Why has the tandava style died?

To this day, I can’t remember whether it was a man or woman whom I saw perform as Ardhanareswara, the union of Shiva and Shakti. What I do remember is a figure on stage whose one side was covered in animal hides and the other, in a Kanchipuram silk sari, as if s/he was split exactly down the middle into two people. The Ganges flowed from the hair on one side, while jasmine flowers adorned the other. Where the movements of one side were rigid, sturdy, and deliberate, the other moved gracefully, curvaceously, and effortlessly. I remember trying hard to catch the optical illusion, the ‘trick’ behind this gimmick, but I couldn’t. The truth was, whether male or female, the dancer on stage had mastered both the masculine and feminine traits of a classical Indian dancer.

Gender roles in Indian classical dance have see-sawed from it being a predominantly male tradition to a predominantly female one. When we look at Indian dance as it has been transmitted to and through Hindus in the diaspora, I wonder why the masculine form has lost its appeal and why boys aren’t pushed to learn this dance in an effort to maintain “Indianness” as young girls are. Ultimately, Bharatanatyam’s religious origins point in the direction of male dominance and the Victorian ideals which Indians absorbed during British colonization added to the weeding out of women from the dance tradition. Why, then, has dance become a field taken over by women in both modern India and the diaspora, especially the U.S.?

If we take a loot at its divine origins, Bharatanatyam was intended to be a male-dominated tradition. It is said that Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, established the dance in order to enlighten human beings and keep them away from vices. In fact, he didn’t seek the help of any woman to do this. He approached sage Bharata to articulate it, so Bharata wrote the Natyasastra.

Moreover, the Lord of Dance himself is a male. The image of dancing Shiva has become an icon to dancers all over the world.

Why, then, when the dance had been initiated by and created for men, are male Bharatanatyam dancers in the U.S. scarce?

Padmaja Suresh, in her June 30, 2007 article, “Gender Switch!”, on narthaki.com, explores one reason:

“If a woman could carry herself well with elegance and grace alike, she becomes a true beauty; if she exudes confidence, courage and determination, she becomes a true example; if she can fight a battle, and also nurse the wounded, stare boldly yet shed tears, she becomes a legend! But unfortunately though, a man seen crying, lamenting or moaning without sufficient reasons could become a defaced and deformed figure, not befitting his ‘manhood.’ Qualities of kindness, warmth, compassion are also extolled in a man but are appealing only if veiled in his inherent, habitual ‘ruggedness.’ Otherwise, he gets belittled and chided and a crude word ‘effeminate’ gets attached to him.”

Today, in modern India and the diaspora, not only are young women taking up Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian dance forms such as Kathak and Kuchipudi, but they are being actively coerced into it at a young age. The reason for the gender switch seems to be that these girls and women are seen as “the keepers of culture and religion,” thus the dance, which is being used to “Indianize” the non-resident Indians, uses girls as agents to connect the ancient Hindu traditions with modern American society.

Unlike with other Indian dances—bhangra, raas, bollywood—both male and female Bharatanatyam dancers have to portray both male and female roles. As dancer Padmaja Suresh notes, for a woman to depict courage, pride, and confidence (usually considered manly traits) is empowering, but for a man to show the tender emotions commonly pegged as female traits, is emasculating.

“It is commonly remarked…that many a male dancer, especially in Bharatanatyam, happens to sacrifice unknowingly, his virile stride, mannerisms and ‘macho’ image. Instead, the kind of dance articulations usually associated with women, look more pronounced in him than his very own manliness,” Suresh says.

I agree with Suresh’s argument that modern concepts of machismo, which have been emphasized by Western societies, can be blamed for generally keeping boys from being encouraged into this tradition. In return, boys, too, have not expressed an interest in learning it. American society today accepts the dance as better suited for a woman’s body. Thus, the tradition suffers the absence of potential successful male dancers due to the stigma attached to males who perform Bharatanatyam.