Indian Modernity and Tagore's Dance

Rabindranath Tagore's invention of an entirely new dance style liberated dance from the formulaic choreography and narratives of classical Indian dance. Tagore advocated naturalistic rather than stylized expression, with the stated purpose of creating an aesthetic vehicle for conveying the drama of human emotional experience. This style, Rabindra-nritya, the first 'modern dance' of India, was and has remained entirely uncodified, relying on the creative impulse of the individual dancer interpreting poetical compositions. This flexibility, however, has tended to be accompanied by a lack of formal rigour and codification, which may help explain why Rabindranath's dance style has never gained acceptance in India as a serious art beyond the Bengali cultural domain.