Ascending the Canadian stage: Dance and cultural identity in the Indian diaspora

This thesis investigates Bharatanatyam (South Indian classical dance) in Canada, with a focus on arangetram (ceremonial debut dance recital). It contextualizes historical perspectives on Bharatanatyam, examining the ideological background from which diasporic practice developed. I discuss diaspora theory to investigate and problematize the notion of hybridity, and explore how assignations of difference play into the construction of ethnicized and gendered identity among Bharatanatyam students. By examining how performance is integral to social relations concurrently played out during the arangetram event, I explore how the cultural capital of Bharatanatyam is used to articulate social exchanges and reinforce the upper-middle class affiliation of the participants, and how the social capital of displaying status through arangetram performances sustains hierarchies based on wealth within the Indo-Canadian community. This research provides insights into the function of traditionalism in minority communities and how this relates to changes in the social function of expressive culture in Canada.