Embodied Communities: Dance Traditions and Change in Java

✍ Scribed by Felicia Hughes-Freeland

• Publisher: Berghahn Books
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 304
• Series: Dance and Performance Studies; 2
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Court dance in Java has changed from a colonial ceremonial tradition into a national artistic classicism. Central to this general transformation has been dance’s role in personal transformation, developing appropriate forms of everyday behaviour and strengthening the powers of persuasion that come from the skillful manipulation of both physical and verbal forms of politeness. This account of dance’s significance in performance and in everyday life draws on extensive research, including dance training in Java, and builds on how practitioners interpret and explain the repertoire. The Javanese case is contextualized in relation to social values, religion, philosophy, and commoditization arising from tourism. It also raises fundamental questions about the theorization of culture, society and the body during a period of radical change.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
List of Figures and Tables
Preface and Acknowledgements
A Note on Spelling and Other Matters
Abbreviations
Chapter 1. Introduction: Dance, Culture and Embodiment
Chapter 2. Before the Nation: The Heyday of Court Dance
Chapter 3. From Colony to Nation: Dance in the Reign of Ham˘engkubuwana IX (1940–1988)
Chapter 4. Embodying Culture: Dance as Education
Chapter 5. Performance and Symbolism: B˘edhaya and the Poetics of Power
Chapter 6. The Art of Dancing: Joged Mataram
Chapter 7. Changing Styles of Patronage: Tourism and Commoditization
Chapter 8. Conclusion: Embodied Communities in the Nation State
Appendices
Glossary
Bibliography
Index