Changing Approaches in Dance Research with special focus on Kuchipudi

Performing Arts-Dance

The traditional pedagogy in all Indian art forms, and in particular Dance, was oral. The teaching of Dance transformed quite a bit in the 20th century from the traditional Gurukula Paddhati, with the establishment of ace institutions for Dance when it got institutionalized with systematic syllabus-oriented teaching, - a process which began in the early 20th Century in India. In the field of academics, the pursuit of research is often considered the pinnacle of intellectual learning. This is true even in the academic study of dance. This paper’s primary focus is on the research works undertaken and submitted by various scholars exploring the field of Kuchipudi dance. The focus of this article is limited to the research works submitted to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University (PSTU), and a few doctoral theses work from the Diaspora. This article traces the beginnings of research on Kuchipudi dance form and explains the varied themes and the changing trends in 20th and 21st centuries. It classifies various research works as descriptive, narrative, and historical accounts and critical analysis. Discussing the trends in research, the paper brings out the transitions in the themes from narrative-based works to in-depth critical studies. It puts forth that myriad themes were explored as part of research exploring and unearthing facets around the Kuchipudi dance form have become an invaluable resources as they fill in the lacuna that existed in traditional formats of learning. As well that research works produced under institutionalized setups, making scientific and empirical knowledge base on Kuchipudi accessible which augment academic learning.

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