Presenting
Indian

Dance
to

Multicultural

Audiences

Presenting
Indian
dance
to
Multicultural
audiences


Rohini
Dandavate,
Ph.D.



May
28,
2011


Attracting
intercultural
audiences
to
traditional
Indian
dance
presentations
is
one
of
the

many
challenges
Indian
dancers
and
dance
organizations
face
in
the
United
States
of

America.
America
was
once
called
the
“melting
pot
of
cultures”.
Increasing
multicultural

presence
is
adding
new
experiences
in
the
American
communities.
The
American
social

diversity
is
now
described
as
“a
salad
bowl“
of
ethnic
identities.
Unlike
the
past
where

immigrants
were
required
to
assimilate
into
the
mainstream
culture,
this
new
metaphor

of
a
salad
bowl
suggests
that
immigrant
populations
continue
to
practice
their
own

traditions,
beliefs
and
values,
maintaining
their
uniqueness
and
identity.
This
shift
in

attitude
has
set
off
an
interest
and
curiosity
in
people
to
experience
and
understand

each
other’s
traditions.

On
the
other
hand
it
has
also
given
rise
to
the
number
of

cultural
events
resulting
in
fragmentation
of
audiences.
In
this
background,
Indian

dancers,
choreographers
and
event
planners
have
the
opportunity
to
share
the
Indian

heritage
but
also
have
to
make
special
efforts
to
reach
out
and
attract
diverse

audiences.



Well‐established
Indian
dance
schools
with
large
numbers
of
students
are
commonplace

and
Indian
dancers
are
finding
platforms
to
present
in
the
remotest
towns
of
America.


The
Indian
diasporas
with
the
yearning
to
inculcate
cultural
values
and
beliefs
in
their

children
are
choosing
to
send
their
children
for
training
in
Indian
dance
and
music.

Parallel
to
this
development
there
is
also
an
upsurge
of
dance
presentations
due
the

rising
numbers
of
Indian
dancers
visiting
from
other
countries
to
perform
in
the
U.S.

Despite
these
developments,
it
is
observed
that
people
attending
the
Indian
dance

events
are
largely
from
the
Indian
community.
Multicultural
representation
is
sparse.

The
obvious
question
that
arises
from
this
observation
is
what
can
be
changed
in
order

to
attract
and
sustain
their
attendance
at
Indian
dance
events.


Fundamental
to
Arts
Marketing
is
the
concept
of
audience
development.
To
present
art

meaningfully
to
audiences
dancers
must
understand
what
appeals
and
enthuses
people

from
different
ethnicities.
In
support
of
this
proposition
I
would
like
to
share
my
first

experience
of
presenting
Odissi
dance,
an
Indian
classical
dance
form,
in
the
U.S.
I
was

invited
to
dance
for
a
kindergarten
class,
in
an
elementary
school
in
Columbus,
Ohio.
I

presented,
Dashavtar,
a
traditional
number
from
the
Odissi
repertoire
that
expressed

ten
short
stories
depicting
victory
of
the
good
over
evil.
The
children
watched
and

warmly
appreciated
my
effort.
However
on
completion
there
was
a
quick
request
from

one
of
the
five‐year
old
children
to
dance
the
story
of
Cinderella.
It
became
clear
to
me

that
the
child’s
familiarity
with
the
story
of
Cinderella
aroused
his
curiosity
to
watch
the

same
in
the
Odissi
style.
I
recognized
that
presenting
themes
which
people
are
familiar

with
would
better
engage
audiences.


Research
in
Psychology
also
indicates
that
people
chose
to
participate
in
activities,

which
they
have
previous
exposure
to
and
experience
with.
The
art
of
dancing
though

universal
holds
different
meanings
in
varied
social
contexts.
People
dance
for
different

purposes,
to
celebrate,
to
grieve,
to
enjoy,
to
express
and
communicate,
to
prepare
for

war,
to
document,
to
name
a
few.

Dance
expressions
and
movement
patterns
can
be

enjoyed
even
more
when
the
repertoire
is
understandable.
Intricate
complex

movements
of
Indian
dance
become
meaningful
to
diverse
audiences
when
common
or

universal
themes
are
expressed.
Indian
dance
has
no
limitations
in
expression
of
theme

or
content.
It
communicates
the
stories
of
the
divine
as
well
as
portrays
the
daily
events,

themes
from
nature
and
human
life.


Being
limitless
in
range,
the
precise
and
well‐
defined
technique
of
Indian
classical
dance
affords
endless
opportunities
for

improvisation
and
exploration
of
new
universal
themes.



Another
opportunity
for
audience
development
is
to
learn
from
principles
of
product

development
in
management
science.
In
suggesting
the
need
for
product
improvement

through
continuous
change,
Tom
Peters,
one
of
the
Guru’s
of
business
management,

professes
“excellent
firms
don’t
believe
in
excellence‐
only
in
constant
improvement

and
constant
change.”
Indian
dancers
can
employ
new
methods
of
management
to
be

successful
in
attracting
multicultural
audiences.
While
retaining
the
intrinsic
meaning

and
technique
of
the
dance
form,
there
is
an
opportunity
to
improvise,
experiment
and

innovate
keeping
in
view
the
needs
of
the
audience.
Louis
Stevens,
a
famous
writer,
in

one
of
his
speeches,
said


Great
product
marketing
isn't
selling
the
product:
it
is
responding
to
the
way

people
want
to
feel
when
they
drive
that
car
or
run
that
mile.
It's
not
selling
the

"it,"
it's
selling
the
feeling
that
people
want
to
feel.
(Opera
America
Newsline

1997)


This
quote
aptly
explains
the
essence
of
audience
building.
Developing
audiences,
as

Stevens
tells
us,
is
more
than
marketing
a
product:
it
is
marketing
an
experience.
To

market
something
effectively,
it
is
essential
to
understand
what
people
care
about,

what
motivates
them
to
buy
and
use
a
product
or
attend
an
event.
Much
like
my

experience
with
the
kindergartners,
it
is
necessary
to
identify
and
understand
what

would
audiences
relate
to
and
enjoy.
The
best
example
to
illustrate
this
point
would
be

the
Broadway
production,
The
Lion
King.

This
show
brings
innovation
in
treatment
of

the
subject,
but
also
adapts
to
the
needs
of
intercultural
audiences
by
drawing
in

elements
of
art
forms
from
various
parts
of
the
world.


This
spectacular
production
weaves
together
art
forms
from
Africa,
America,
Indonesia

and
India,
to
name
a
few,
in
the
most
innovative
format
of
presentation.
It
creates
an

experience
that
different
people
can
relate
to
in
the
context
of
their
own
life

experiences.
The
costumes,
masks,
music,
and
elements
of
shadow
puppetry,

movement
and
body
language,
the
vibrant
colors–every
aspect
of
the
presentation

comes
together
to
help
audiences
understand,
appreciate
and
enjoy
a
variety
of
artistic

expressions
from
different
cultures
around
the
world.
Innovation
in
product

development
and
presentation
format,
and
collaboration
amongst
dancers,
designers

and
artists
are
the
keystones,
which
contribute
towards
the
immense
success
of
this

production.
Audience
development
is
an
ongoing
process
and
requires
awareness
of

what
appeals
viewers.
The
table
given
below
encompasses
successful
elements
of

 strategies
for
audience
development
as
practiced
by
a
variety
of
arts
organizations.
The

approach
recommended
is
in
the
areas
of
the
dance
production,
organizational
policy

and
engagement
of
audience.



Build
 Expand
 Diversify


 
 


 
 


 Proactive
 Reach
out
to
 Cultivate
a
feeling
in

Audience
 Actively
involve
 potential
audience
 diverse
audiences
that

audience/potential
audience
 that
has
diverse
 this
event
is
a
place
for

in
selecting,
structuring
and
 points
of
interest
and
 intercultural

presenting
the
content
 different
 socialization


 perspectives

Reactive

Engage
the
audience
in

giving
feedback/
evaluate

the
presentation
on
a
regular

basis



Interactive

Create
a
mechanism
to

maintain
an
ongoing

dialogue
with
both

current/potential
audience

about
the
events




 
 


 The
presentation
should
 Explore
new
themes
 Blend/juxtapose
diverse

Production
 reflect
the
aspirations
of
the
 for
familiar
and
 art
forms
and
into
novel

audience
 unfamiliar
art
forms
 experiences


 

Pre‐publicity
material
and
 Encourage

communication
material
on
 experimentation

the
day
of
the
event
should

be
designed
to
make
the

presentation
more

meaningful
to
the
viewer




 
 


 Adapt
product
marketing
 Collaborate
with
 Equip
the
organization

Organization
 techniques
and
restructure
if
 other
dancers
and
 to
interact
with

necessary
 other
art
forms
 artists/organizations


 from
diverse


 cultures/nationalities

In
addition
to
the
ideas
presented
above,
new
audiences
can
also
be
attracted
by:


~
developing
long
term
plans
for
cultivating
and
educating
the
audience



~
pooling
resources
with
like‐minded
institutions
or
dancers
through

collaborations
and
partnerships,



~
allocating
resources
for
audience
research


~
developing
a
database
of
audience
information


~
developing
professional
teams
and
ensuring
effective
participation
of
team

members


The
strategies
suggested
in
the
template
are
ways
to
approach
audience
building
over
a

sustained
period.

There
isn’t
a
standard
approach
that
can
work
in
all
situations,

therefore
the
key
lies
in
understanding
one’s
own
context
and
identifying
those

strategies
that
can
be
effective
in
engaging
target
audiences.
Curiosity
for
intercultural

experiences
in
the
United
States
has
opened
opportunities
for
Indian
dancers.
Change
is


often
difficult,
and
few
people
enjoy
it.
However,
in
keeping
with
the
current
times,

flexibility,
change
and
creating
total
customer
responsiveness
are
the
necessary
means

to
achieve
success
in
business–and
the
arts
are
no
exception.


References:


Web
site
of
Master
of
Arts
Management
program
at
the
Carnegie
Melon
University.

Stevens,
Louise
K.
"Just
Who
are
those
first‐time
ticket
buyers?"
Opera
Americas
26th

Annual
Conference

(Los
Angeles
1996).

19992
Public
Participation
in
the
Arts:
National
Endowment
for
the
Arts.
Research

Division
and
the
U.S.
Department
of
the
Census.

Building
Audiences:
Stories
from
America's
Theaters.
Lila
Wallace‐
Reader's
Digest
Fund

(New
York
December
1997)

Personal
interview
with
Rebecca
Ogden,
Director,
Firehouse
Arts
Resources
(Columbus

1998)

Personal
interview
with
Annette
Merritt
Cummings,
Director
of
Marketing,
Wexner

Center
for
the
Arts
(Columbus
1998)




Rohini
Doshi‐Dandavate
has
a
doctorate
in
Cultural
Policy
and
Arts
Administration
from

the
Ohio
State
University.
As
an
artist
in
the
Arts
in
Education
Program
of
the
Ohio
Arts

Council,
she
has
conducted
workshops
and
lecture
demonstrations
on
Odissi
dance
for

students
in
schools
and
colleges
in
Ohio
since
1994.
She
has
offered
courses
in
Odissi

dance,
as
a
Visiting
Faculty
in
Denison
University
in
2001
and
continues
to
offer
dance

lessons.
She
received
her
graduate
degree
in
Odissi
dance
from
Kala
Vikash
Kendra,

College
of
Indian
Dance
and
Music,
Cuttack,
India.















Workshop
for
Children
in
Wexner
Center,
Columbus,
Ohio