Publisher's Synopsis
When renowned Indian dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar and his company launched their inaugural world tour in Paris in 1931, European and American audiences received the ensemble enthusiastically. How could this group of foreigners have been so successful on Western stages? Bringing together numerous reviews on Shankar and early ethnographic writings, this book examines the distinct image - often spiritually-biased - of dance and music from India held by the West at the beginning of the 20th century: an image which would also crucially affect the perception of native dance and music traditions in India itself. (Series: KlangKulturStudien/SoundCultureStudies - Vol. 6)
