The Routledge Companion to Dance in Asia and the Pacific: Platforms for Change

Description

This Companion documents and celebrates artistic journeys within the framework of rich and complex cultural heritages and traditional dance practices of the Asia-Pacific region. It presents various dance forms from Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the South Pacific. Drawing on extensive research and decades of performative experience as artists, choreographers, producers, teachers, and critics, the authors approach issues of dance and cultural diversity from a theoretical perspective while at the same time exploring change, process, and transformation through dance.   The book discusses themes such as tradition, contemporization, interdisciplinarity, dance education, youth dance, dance networks, curatorial practices, and evolving performative practices of dance companies and independents. It also looks at regional networking, curating dance festivals and spaces that foster collaboration, regional cooperation, and cultural exchange, which are essential features of dance in Asia and the Pacific.   This collection will be of interest to students and researchers of pedagogy, choreography, community dance practice, theatre and performance studies, social and cultural studies, aesthetics, interdisciplinary arts, and more. It will be an invaluable resource for artists and practitioners working in dance schools and communities. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of figures List of contributors Acknowledgements Introduction Australia 1 Shaping the landscape 2 Treading the pathways: independent Indigenous dance Cambodia 3 I am a Cambodian classical dancer 4 Dance education in Cambodia China 5 Concert dance in contemporary China: crossing borders while maintaining difference Hong Kong and the region 6 Balancing acts/decentring exercises: the Asia Network for Dance AND+ − a network of its place and time India 7 Imag(in)ing the nation: Uday Shankar’s Kalpana 8 The beauty myth and beyond: looking at the Bollywood ‘item number’ Indonesia 9 Revealing cultural representation in Indonesian contemporary dance Malaysia 10 Eclecticism and syncretic traditions: conceiving Malay social dance in the 20th century 11 Transnationalism and the waning of the nation-state for Malaysian contemporary dance choreographers Philippines 12 The foundation of language: new Filipino dance lexicons from Eisa Jocson Singapore 13 Dancescapism: on dance, young people, and choice in the Lion City 14 Interconnections: an overview of contemporary dance in Singapore from 1990 to 2020 Taiwan 15 Identity, hybridity, diversity: a brief history of dance in Taiwan 16 Roots and routes of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s Nine Songs Thailand 17 Reinventing how we move: the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company in the context of contemporary Thai dance The South Pacific 18 Making waves: identity, relationships, and leadership within dance in the South Pacific Index