REVIVAL
REVIVAL
Against many odds, a few families preserved the knowledge of this Dance tradition. Its revival involved individuals from different backgrounds: freedom fighters, westerners interested in Indian arts, people outside the devadasi (servant) class who learned Bharatanatyam, and devadasis themselves
One such person was E. Krishna Iyer. He was a freedom fighter and lawyer who also had learned Bharatanatyam. He would perform the dance in female costume to remove the stigma associated with the dance, and campaigned to raise public interest in the art. He also founded the Music Academy and used its platform to present Bharatanatyam performances by devadasis. The art gained respect due to its acceptance on the Music Academy stage.
One such person was E. Krishna Iyer. He was a freedom fighter and lawyer who also had learned Bharatanatyam. He would perform the dance in female costume to remove the stigma associated with the dance, and campaigned to raise public interest in the art. He also founded the Music Academy and used its platform to present Bharatanatyam performances by devadasis. The art gained respect due to its acceptance on the Music Academy stage.
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