Dance and Gender Identity - Essay Example

Dance and Gender Identity Introduction Gentleness and ingressiveness is stereotypically associated with feminism, whereas vigour, valour, and aggressiveness are the qualities which embody the masculinity. This is gender stereotype and if subversive approach is manifested, the eyebrows arise towards the person. If the stereotype feminine activities are performed by the males, they are being harassed by the people for being sissies. Gender role is decided by the society. Likewise the stereotype action, body posture, pattern are associated mainly with gender identity. In performing arts, body posture is very important. Dance is a performing art where your body posture plays a really crucial role because this performing art needs to have amazing elegance and grace in your body. The performer expresses him or her through the medium of body. Butler in her book “Gender Trouble in 1990s discusses and interprets Nietzsche’s ideas. Nietzsche states, “There is no ‘being’ behind (the) ‘doing.’ The doer is merely a fiction added to the deed – the deed is everything (1) According to the theory of performativity, gender should not be considered as a noun that acts but it is always a doing. This statement is very true in the context of dance or any other performing art where the actor is a performer in spite of his gender identity. Keywords: stereotype, gentleness, vigour, body posture, gender identity “Dance is considered as the oldest from of art as well as the most sensual art because it uses the human body as an instrument as well as it is connected with sexuality.”(2) It is no doubt that almost all dance forms in the world are closely associated with gender identity. The gender is depicted in different manner and perception in every dance form. In Western Ballet the females play an important role. They are called Ballerinas. The role of the men in this dance is very insignificant. It is presumed that the male dancers are always gays. It is also the presumption that female dancers are strait. The perceptions are culture oriented. In each culture the stereotype in dance changes. In Indian classical dances the males and females both can perform individually. The major Indian classical dances such as Kathak and Bharatnatyam are performed both by males and females. Here is the kaleidoscopic review of the Indian classical dance, gender role and gender perception in Indian classical dances. What is Kathak? Kathak is one of the oldest classical dance forms which originated in North India. Basically all Indian classical dances have a Hindu theology. Dance is performed by both male and female. The masculine dance is always vigorous and aggressive while the feminine dance form is very delicate and more graceful. Basically in Kathak, the artist has to have the knowledge of both of these patterns. The masculine dance that is related to vigour, is known as Tandava (Aggressive and forceful) whereas the mild and delicate dance is known as Lasya. It is the belief that when the world is full of sinners and there is no just remain on the earth, God Shiva destroys the world by his vigour and forceful dance. His wife Shakti, Goddess Parvati at that time tries to pacify him by performing a very delicate dance. Dance has been the manifestation of the various emotions since ancient time in India and gender identity is the minor issue. The emotions or moods in dance are called Rasa. In other incident, Shiva performs a destructive dance when his wife Sati (First incarnation of his next wife Parvati) commits a suicide due to the humiliation she receives from her parents, Shiva, in his tremendous vehemence prepares himself for the cosmic destruction. “Shiva was the symbol of procreation and it is because of this that Tandav is often regarded as a male dance.” (3) Thus Indian dances have always been the revelation of emotions and the release of tremendous physical energy. “Tandav covers all dance which expresses actions and feelings with strength and vigour, whether danced by men and women.” (4)They are mostly related to the cosmic cycle and natural phenomenon. According to Hindu mythology the God of Dance is God Natraj which is again the form of Lord Shiva. In ancient India, thus dance used to be performed by many male artists. In the stories of Lord Krishna, there is a story, when he kills a very dangerous cobra dwelling in the river Yamuna. He very bravely fought with the giant and dreadful snake which was called Kalia. After the defeat of Kalia it is the legend that Krishna performed a very vigorous dance on its head. His dance reflects the Veer Rasa (bravery). It was the original stereotype in Indian classical dances where gender did not matter but what mattered, was the theme and the act. Modern Stereotype – Gender Identity and Dance Nowadays the approach to this art has changed drastically. No doubt yet there are many male Kathak exponents who have carved their name by contributing lion’s share. Among them are renowned Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj, Gopi Krishna etc. The chain of male dancers is very long. But still among the common people, Kathak has been the dance associated with only to girls. Parents are very keen to impart the training of Kathak to their daughters but they are not at all interested if their sons endeavour to make career in Kathak. It is because a stereotypical attitude has spread among the people and that is the boy starts behaving in a feminine manner when he learns Kathak or any other Indian classical dance. His posture, his styles change into feminine form. The eyebrows are raised and he becomes the target of strong criticism for being a “eunuch,” or “hermaphrodite.” Eunuch is a third gender, which is the combination of man and woman. He is thus constantly humiliated by the society for transforming his stereotypical gender behaviour. But on the contrary, if a woman performs the dance in a graceful manner, she is appreciated by the people. This is the clear indication of gesture; pose delicacy in dance is gender stereotypical phenomenon. When you practise of something, you possess a particular style out of the practice. As far as Kathak or other Indian classical dance forms are concerned, you need to spend at least twelve years of your life in rigorous practice of about 9 hours a day. Then also you have to have constant practice of the art to acquire mastery. Naturally dance and dancing movements become part of your day today life also. Your body starts adopting the style unknowingly. The movements are reflected in your normal life also. According to Judith Butler, If the ground of gender identity is the stylized repetition of acts through time and not a seemingly seamless identity, then the spatial metaphor of a "ground" will be displaced and revealed as a stylized configuration, indeed a gendered corporatization of time. The abiding gendered self will then be shown to be structured by repeated acts that seek to approximate the ideal of a substantial ground of identity, but which, in their occasional discontinuity, reveal the temporal and contingent groundlessness of this "ground." The above statement is sometimes true but sometimes it cannot be justified. It is the general approach that the male dancers tend to be either gay or eunuch at least they seem to be like that from their outward appearance because they walk like females, they talk like females and each and every body posture reflects feminism. The males are least interested in choosing Dance as their career. “Ballet student, teacher, and anthropologist Daniel O’Connor observed that in New York City, dance capital of the world, male dancers still feel threatened to find their occupational choice considered deviant by mainstream America.” (5) Some beautiful posture of Kathak which is performed by both males and females The need for having feminine look Dance is generally performed on stage, in front of a huge audience. So it is essential to reach your facial expressions to the audience clearly. This is the reason why the expressions are melodramatic. The make –up also is very heavy, especially the eyes are decorated. Melodrama or being over emotional and applying heavy make-up is the activities related to women. The male dancers also have to perform this activity for effective performance. Showing the expressions and emotions openly again is the act done by females. Males are not allowed to show their emotions openly in public. So if the men started doing it they are teased for doing feminine acts. While performing Kathak, the men have to wear a dress which is closely similar to the female costume, such as Salwar Kurta. It is the traditional costume and used by women. “Reading representations of masculinity in theatre dance does not, merely, mean recognizing similarities between performances of masculinity in daily life and the way in which masculinity is embodied and represented by dancers on stage.” (6) Though Kathak dance is divided into two segments, first one is vigorous (embodiment of masculinity) and the second one is delicate (Embodiment of feminism), the dancer has to be neutral while performing dance. He or she has to play the role of both genders. Kathak dance is based on many ancient Indian mythological themes. The themes are generally love themes based on the love story of Radha and Krishna, Shiva and Parvati, or sometimes the dance of Apsaras (Temptresses and seductive dancers). In solo performance the dancer has to play the role of the male characters as well as the female characters. When these male dancers perform the male role, they create a powerful physical presence. He thus dominates and masters the audience and the entire theme of the play and confirms to the conservative norms of masculine behaviour. On the contrary, while they are performing the role of a heroine they have to perform in a feminine manner. The actions, body language, gestures need to be delicate. This delicacy and feminist movements are the repetitive action of the body which absorbs in the body due to repetitive performances. “There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; … identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results” (7) In ancient time and in Medieval India, theatrical performance was a taboo for women. They were not allowed to perform on stage. Basically dance was associated with the act of a prostitute who used to perform it to give pleasure to the king and rich people. So the women from decent families were not allowed to learn any kind of art. Most of the theatrical performances in those days used to base on ancient Hindu mythology. They needed actors who could play the role of women. As women performers were not available, the transvestites appeared in the stage. Transvestite is a person with cross dressing. But these people are just playing a particular role. In Dance, theatre or any other performing art you have to get into that particular role completely. You have to give full justice to the role. So if the male performer is playing a role of a female character, he has to embrace the feminine style so that his performance will be effective and more authentic. There is a difference between the anatomy of the performer and the gender that is being performed. One can neither call them gay or eunuch, nor can he be criticized for being “transvestic fetishism.” Transvestic Fetishism means a person having a sexual interest in cross-dressing. In case of the dancers, they are just performer. While practising their role they have to repeat the action again and again which results into adoption of the same style in their day today life. Heterosexuality and Dance: Before correlating the concept of heterosexuality with dance we have to know what heterosexuality is. The concept heterosexuality is associated with the idea that gender reflects desire and desire reflects gender. “You were born female, become women and desire men.” It means that as you are born as a woman you desire men and you are a woman because you were born female. While playing the role of a female in dancing performance or theatrical performance sometimes the performers subvert the heterosexual concept by behaving in a feminine manner. If the male performs vigorous dance and the female performs seductive, delicate dance it is supposed to be the heterosexual dance but if a male try to show female character by delicate and feminine action, it is generally not accepted by the society. In Ballet also the role of Ballerina has to be performed by the female artist. Transgender and Dance Now the question is that whether the boys accept the dancing career just because they have a strong hidden desire of transgender activity. According to Oxford English Dictionary, transgender person is a person whose identity does not confirm unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these. Many Kathak dancers tend to behave in a transgendered manner in their normal life also. Their styles are premeditated and sometimes hyper feminine. In Kathak or any other Indian classical dance, the dancer of either sex has to play the role of both sexes. Sometimes the dance is performed solo and sometimes it is performed by group. Most of the time when the group is there it consists of the female group. The females perform the role of both male and female characters. Here dancers dance regardless of their sex, gender, and identity. The mythological themes such as Radha Krishna’s love story, the story of Shiva and Parvati, the marriage ceremony of various princesses in ancient India etc. are to be played by a single character in solo performance, If it is performed by all female artists, one plays role of Krishna and another plays the role of Radha. The artist who plays the role of Krishna tries to be vigorous and masculine in her dance performance. Unlike Ballet dance, here the role of the dancers changes regardless their gender. In Ballet, Though dance is performed by both male and female, gender roles are assigned to them. The man always has to do the work of lifting the Ballerinas. The Ballerinas play a prominent role in Ballet dance. If the Ballerina’s role is performed by any male artist, it would never been excused by the audience because of the traditional view. Kathak in that sense is more flexible as far as gender role is concerned. A single male or female performer can play the role of both the male and female characters. Kathak is more gender free dance style than the Western traditional ballet. Kathak dance, as mentioned above has been performed by both males and females. In the great epic Mahabharata, there is a reference of a character called Arjun. Arjun was the second most important character after Lord Krishna. In his trial period Arjun had to disguise himself of a woman. He thus transformed himself into a woman. He named himself as Bruhannada. He then he was appointed as a dance teacher to teach a princess called Uttara. The character of Bruhannada is closely associated with eunuch. He had to disguise because he was under the curse of destiny. It meant again in Indian mythology also the dance was associated mainly with the girls. It means that the eunuchs are regarded as cursed creatures by the society. As soon as his curse finished he again transformed into a male figure. When he was a woman he had to perform the delicate duty of teaching dance to the princess. All Indian classical dances except Kathakali are females; Kathakali is the South Indian classical form of dance which is traditionally performed only by males. Of course nowadays it is performed by the females also. The notable thing in all of these dance forms is that the Gurus (teachers) of almost all the performers are male. Today also in India basically the boys are interested in learning western dance and they are not keen to learn any classical dance. The number of male students is lesser than the female students. Boys basically incline towards break dance, salsa, or aerobics that can be done in dancing step. These western forms of dance are basically athletic forms. The action is more important than your emotions. The Indian classical dances have been the monopoly of the female performers. In classical dances such as Kathak and Bharatnatyam the neck movements, eyebrows movements, and the eyes movements are very important. The Mudras (Hand Gestures) are needed to be done in a very graceful and elegant style. So it is the general notion that all these activities involved in dance are suitable for female posture and not male posture. If the man starts following the feminine steps the people still disagree to accept his role. Thus the performing art like dance is confined in the heterosexual framework of gender identity. No one can perform a gender free dance. “A feminist view argues that gender should be overthrown, eliminated, or rendered fatally ambiguous precisely because it is always a sign of subordination for women.” (Pg 14 “Gender Trouble, preface 1999) As far as art is concerned, any art should be free from gender discrimination. It is because a true artist is beyond all mundane norms such as sex, race, religion etc. His or her job is to be committed to his art and profession and accordingly the actions are being performed by the performer. Ardhanarinateshwar concept: The picture of Ardhanarinateshwara (half male and half female body) The major objective of Indian classical dances is to tell the stories of mythology through graceful and elegant body language and Abhinaya (Acting). The Indian classical dances are not the facilitators of gender identity formation. It is said that Lord Shiva is the master of all Indian classical dance. Shiva is also supposed to be the Deity of Dance. He formed himself into two parts. He separated his Power and thus made the female form which was known as Shakti (Female Energy) This male and female thus exist in one body. It is regarded that half of the body of Shiva is masculine body and half of the body is feminine. This concept is known as “Ardhanarinateshwara.” (Half woman half male) So the dance performed by Shiva is both masculine and feminine. Dance is the divine art which is created by Lord Shiva with the help of his wife Parvati or Shakti. There is no gender dominance in Indian classical dance. These dances are not at all associated with a particular gender. The dances which specially demonstrate gender identity are Kathakali and Mohiniattam. Kathakali is the dance form which is dominated mainly by the males and Mohiniattam is dominated by females. A mythological myth is there behind originating Mohini Attam. Mohini was the female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Mohini was a temptress who performed a beautiful dance to allure the demons. Thus she helps the Gods by seducing the demons with her divine beauty and her amazing dancing skill. Conclusion: Sex has been an obligatory injunction for the body to become a cultural sign. Since ancient time dance has many stereotypical approaches in all around the world. Basically dance is an elegant art which needs to be enjoyed by an artistic vision. Objective should be taken into consideration while assessing the dance performance and not the gender identity of the artist. Gender issue should not be included and this art should not be kept constrained in the certain framework of gender identity. Sources: 1. Butler 1999+ [1990], p. 33 II Nietzsche 199-?, p. 91 2. cited in Haviland, p. 391). Haviland, W 2005, Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge, Thomson Wadsworth 3. “India’s Kathak Dance, past present and future,” by Reginald Massey, Abhinav Publications (1999) 4. Page 8, “India’s Kathak Dance, past present and future,” by Reginald Massey, Abhinav Publications (1999) 5. Pg. 146, “Dance, Sex, and Gender: Sign of identity, dominance, defiance, and desire” by Judith Lynne Hanna, Published by University of Chicago, 6. pg 30, Ramsay Burt, “The Male Dancer: Bodies, Spectacle, Sexuality,” Published by Routledge Publication (1995) 7. pg. 25 “Gender Trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity,” by Judith Butler, Published by Routledge, 1990 Read More