Kalbeliya Unearthed: A Global Catalyst for Feminist Identity and Dance Expression / The Jogi Nath Kalbelia of Jaisalmer: from song to dance, from creativity to performance: the lure of the stage

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Kalbeliya Unearthed: A Global Catalyst for Feminist Identity and Dance Expression

Ayla Joncheere, Professeure associée au IITJodhpur.

Dans cette présentation, j’examine l’évolution globale de la danse Kalbeliya, une danse indienne créée par la communauté Kalbeliya au Rajasthan, en une identité féministe dynamique et une pratique de danse globale. À l’aide d’une recherche ethnographique, d’entretiens et d’une analyse des médias numériques, j’étudie la transformation de la danse Kalbeliya d’une forme de danse régionale en un mouvement d’autonomisation mondial. Cet article met en lumière la manière dont la danse Kalbeliya remet en question les normes de genre et permet aux femmes du monde entier de s’exprimer, tout en explorant les complexités de la mondialisation, y compris l’appropriation culturelle et la dynamique du pouvoir. En fin de compte, la danse Kalbeliya est un exemple convaincant du rôle de la danse dans la promotion de l’émancipation féministe et des échanges culturels à l’échelle mondiale.

In this presentation, I examine the global evolution of Kalbeliya, an Indian dance created by the Kalbeliya community in Rajasthan, into a dynamic feminist identity and global dance practice. Employing ethnographic research, interviews, and digital media review, I investigate the Kalbeliya dance’s transformation from a regional dance form to a global empowerment movement. This paper highlights how Kalbeliya challenges gender norms and empowers women worldwide through self-expression, while also exploring the complexities of globalization, including cultural appropriation and power dynamics. Ultimately, Kalbeliya serves as a compelling example of dance’s role in fostering feminist empowerment and cultural exchange on a global scale

The Jogi Nath Kalbelia of Jaisalmer: from song to dance, from creativity to performance: the lure of the stage

Elizabeth Wickett, chercheuse indépendante, anthropologue, réalisatrice.

Women of the Jogi Nath Kalbelia in Jaisalmer used to roam through villages singing traditional songs and sometimes dancing to the tune of a snake charmer’s pipe, but now, with the advent of tourism, the banning of snake charming and acute economic pressures, this practice known as feri, is being abandoned. This mendicant community is compelled to confront the new economic imperative and challenge of tourism.

Many young women are abandoning tribal norms and becoming professional dancers, performing by night in tourist resorts, a much more lucrative profession. Male elders regard dancing for foreigners as a transgression, a contravention of feri, their true vocation, performed in devotion to their deity, Kanni Pau, but the dancers assert that they are creating their own public identity and at the same time, generating much needed income for their families. The dancers are spearheading this transition to a new form of entertainment, the new feri, in response to a radically transformed social and cultural environment.