Beyond the margins: rethinking Bharatha Natyam in South Africa

FOR this column, I don my academic cap as I address the current state of Bharatha Natyam in South Africa, particularly its placement within the broader framework of South African dance pedagogy.

I speak from a foundation of scholarly research developed through two Master's programmes tackled simultaneously – an MA degree in Bharatha Natyam from the University of Madras, India,  and an MA in dance from the University of Cape Town. For me, Bharatha Natyam is not merely a subject of interest - it is one I’ve interrogated through the lens of two rigorous postgraduate journeys.

Thus, I can associate with the sentiments shared by author and academic Dr Devi Rajab at an arangetram (debut public performance) of a Bharatha Natyam student in Durban last week, and which was reported in POST in an article titled: “Beyond ballet: the call for Bharatha Natyam’s recognition in local education”.

Dr Rajab’s reflections resonated deeply with me because they articulate something I have grappled with for years and am interrogating in my PhD studies that I am currently pursuing. I have also emphasised the need for Bharatha Natyam to be located within a formal school/university syllabus at various symposiums, the most recent being when I delivered a paper at the international conference hosted by the 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation in Verulam last August.

As a third-generation South African Indian woman based in Cape Town, I often find myself questioning my identity as a Bharatha Natyam dancer within the framework of South African dance and so-called “Indian performing arts”. I have spent almost half my life as a “Born Free” yet continue to bear witness to the subtle discriminatory patterns that have historically repressed the artistic pursuits of my community.

Under apartheid, those who were not white were denied access to suitable public facilities and funding for artistic and cultural expression. As a result, many forms of Indian dance, both classical and folk, were confined to temples and community halls - spaces of survival and resilience where art was sustained, even if unacknowledged. During this same period, the arts - particularly dance, theatre, and music - became vital tools for political resistance. Artists and activists used performance as a vehicle for non-racialism and human rights.

Choreographer and director Jay Pather once remarked that “the apartheid government used ballet in much the same way that Nazi Germany did. They took these really athletic forms; they made it the hallmark of rectitude”.

In contrast, artists such as Vincent Mantsoe, Gregory Maqoma, Athol Fugard, and Welcome Msomi transformed the stage into a site of protest - a space to challenge the politics of exclusion and the hierarchy of race and art. While Bharatha Natyam is often viewed solely as part of “Indian culture” in South Africa, it must also be positioned within a broader national cultural landscape.

Bharatha Natyam must be regarded as part of the wider South African dance culture - one that embraces multiculturalism and encompasses Indian, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaner, European and other traditions alike. There is now a growing body of scholarship that situates the Indian Ocean as a vital space of diasporic connection, a living archive of exchange and migration. Within this context, South African Indians cannot consider themselves isolated but must recognise themselves as part of a continuum of communities along the shores of the Indian Ocean.

From a pedagogical perspective, the South African school curriculum offers an important point of reflection. One of the aims of the Further Education and Training Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (FET CAPS) Dance Studies curriculum is to “expose learners to dances of different cultures”. Yet, the curriculum has positioned itself narrowly, with ballet, contemporary dance, and African dance receiving formal recognition - while Indian dance remains conspicuously absent.

Encouragingly, however, the Department of Education has indicated that the door is not closed to future inclusion. That said, it is crucial to recognise how contemporary Indian dance in South Africa has become a tool for decolonisation and a reflection of multicultural identity. At the same time, in a bid to keep Bharatha Natyam “alive” or “accessible”, some custodians have diluted its classical essence by blending Bharatha Natyam’s expressive mudras with the celebratory footwork of Zulu dance. While this cultural diplomacy is probably intended to serve as an artistic bridge, and to make it more palatable or marketable, it is anathema, as I often say, to add dollops of honey or Mrs Ball’s Chutney to a spicy curry just to appease Western or African palates.

In doing so, we risk eroding the very spiritual and cultural integrity that defines this ancient art form. This leads to a crucial question: How can Bharatha Natyam be used as a tool for societal change? Can it contribute to mass cultural shifts in the same way other South African art forms have?

In seeking answers, I’ve turned to thinkers such as Theodor W Adorno (1991), whose work on mass culture interrogates how art shapes and is shaped by society, and Antonio Damasio (1996), whose somatic marker hypothesis explores how emotion and reason intersect in human decision-making. Bharatha Natyam, with its deep emotional resonance and philosophical foundation, has the potential to be both catalyst and mirror, moving audiences not merely through its beauty but through the embodied messages it conveys.

Originating in temple spaces where stories of gods and everyday lives intertwined, Bharatha Natyam has always been more than entertainment - it is a form of prayer, protest, and pedagogy. In today’s world, it can be used to tell contemporary stories, from gender-based violence to substance abuse while still rooted in bhakti (devotion), maintaining its divinity and purity. Unlike dance forms such as hip-hop, street dance, or Bollywood, which often centre the performer, Bharatha Natyam centres the message. And perhaps that is where its true power lies in its ability to remind us that dance, like identity, is not static but living, breathing, and constantly negotiating its place in the world.

Saranya Devan is a theatre-maker, dance performer, academic and proud Tamilian. She holds an MA in dance from UCT, and a MA in Bharatha Natyam from the University of Madras. 

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.

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