Unmaking Grace: The Untold Histories of Bharatanatyam

RSC Nation celebrates International Women’s Day

Unmaking Grace: The Untold Histories of Bharatanatyam

Behind the shimmering costumes and sculpted lines of Bharatanatyam lies a history far more tangled than the stage ever reveals. Unmaking Grace invites the audience to step beyond the artistry and confront stories that were silenced to shape it.

In this compelling talk, led by Anne Tiburtius, we explore how caste, class, gender, colour and colonial morality reshaped an art form once rooted in heritage. And today, who gets celebrated as a Bharatanatyam dancer? Who is told their body is not disciplined enough, not graceful enough, not the right kind.

Join us for a morning of reflection, critique and reimagining. Together, we will delve into the exclusion of dancers who don’t fit dominant ideals of physique or beauty, and look toward more expansive futures where everybody fits onto the classical stage

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