DANCING WITHOUT BODIES: PEDAGOGY AND PERFORMANCE IN DIGITAL SPACES By Shreelina Ghosh A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILSOPHY Rhetoric and Writing Michigan State University 2012 i 1 PRASTHĀVANĀ : ABSTRACT Dancing without Bodies: Pedagogy and Performance in Digital Spaces By Shreelina Ghosh The practice of teaching in an online composition class eliminates the visibility and immediacy the teacher and interpersonal interactivity in a classroom community. This may be problematic for effective online learning. The problem that online instructors might face is one that some traditional Odissi dance teachers also experience. In order to explore the conflict between tradition and mediations with technology, this study focuses on Odissi, an Indian classical dance and examines how digital technologies of teaching, like CDs, DVD, online videos, and synchronous videos are transforming the practice and teaching of this traditional dance. Surveys, interviews, and qualitative research of the field of Odissi dance revealed that technologizing the dance might be unavoidable; but to some practitioners it may be disrupting Odissi’s traditional values. In my own composition pedagogy, I find that simulating the traditional learning experiences in an online classroom can be helpful in enhancing the learning and teaching experience in an online composition classroom. My research reasserts the position of the teacher in an online pedagogic space and argues that the presence or simulated presence of bodies might be vital in learning and composing collaboratively. These findings have implications for composition pedagogy and computers and composition because it demonstrates the complicated relationship between traditional and online teaching, revealing the impact of mediation on these pedagogic practices. 1 Gist of the play is articulated by the narrator in the beginning of Sanskrit drama. ii ii Aangikam Bhuvanam Yasya “Your Body is the Universe” (from Natyashastra) iii iii 2 KRITĀRTHATĀ : ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Rhetoric & Writing graduate program at Michigan State University made space for me in the American academia and supported my travels during this study. I am indebted to my program and College of Arts and Letters for helping me bring back the stories from Orissa. I thank my committee for helping me grow as a researcher and for believing in my work. Grateful namaskar to Ellen Cushman for being my advisor, mentor and guide. Without her careful readings, valuable comments and unwavering support, I would never have been able to complete this dissertation. Namaskar to my committee members: Dean Rehberger for helping me develop my focus when I begun this study; Malea Powell for teaching me how to find my voice and tell my story; William Hart-Davidson for teaching me how to do research; Radhika Gajjala for providing valuable feedback and guidance. I will be eternally grateful to several members of the Odissi fraternity across the globe for their indispensable support. I appreciate the time they took to participate in this study and share their stories. I especially acknowledge the contributions of late Guru Maguni Charan Das, late Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Ratikanta Mahapatra, Rahul Acharya, Dr. Rohini Dandavate, Dr. Uttara Coorlawala, Parwati Dutta, Devraj Patnaik, and Ranjana Dave. My exciting and rewarding friendship with Cynthia Vagnetti and Mary Wendt was pivotal in this study. Their comments, encouragement, and help were vital in developing the project. I owe special thanks to my colleagues Guiseppe Ghetto, Les Loncharich, and Jessica 2 Sanskrit word for “gratitude”. iv Rivait for the intellectually stimulating discussions. I will treasure the joyful experience I had through my associations with the international community at Michigan State University. Lastly, and most importantly, I express my gratitude towards my guru and my family. My guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo not only taught me how to dance Odissi, but also showed me the path to bliss through dance. I am blessed to have parents-in-law who never stopped encouraging me and supporting me. My mother sacrificed her pursuit for PhD midway for her family commitment. This is for you, Ma. My father is my pillar of strength. My sister is my source of comfort and cheer. Finally, I would never be here without the emotional and intellectual support of my husband, Kaustav. Thank you for your patience, love and friendship. v v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix GLOSSARY OF TERMS x CHAPTER 1 MANGALACHARAN: INRODUCTION, PREVIEW AND SCOPE 1.1 Introduction and Scope 1 1.2 Theoretical Framework 4 1.3 Exploring Complexities: Methods and Methods 31 1.4 Overview of the chapters 43 CHAPTER 2 BATU: MYTH OF THE DANCING SCULPTURES 2.1 History of Odissi dance 49 2.2 Mediated Memories of Odissi 51 2.3 Role and position of the Guru 60 2.4 “Sacred” Body of an Odissi dancer 64 2.5 Angika: Visible Rhetoric of the Body 67 CHAPTER 3 PALLAVI: COMPLICATING REAL AND VIRTUAL IN ODISSI 3.1 Introduction 74 3.2 Locating Patterns in Research Findings 76 3.3 Digital Learning Tools and Traditional Values 91 CHAPTER 4 ABHINAYA: DRAMA OF THE CONFLICTING TRADITIONS 4.1 Introduction 100 4.2 Odissi dance and legitimate remediations 103 4.3 Forms of Mediations 105 vi vi 4.4 Discussions 118 4.5 Implication on my Online Composition Pedagogy 121 4.6 Concluding the Study 129 APPENDICES Appendix A: Interview Scripts 132 Appendix B: Survey Protocol 134 Appendix C: Coding and analysis scheme 136 Appendix D: Research participant consent form 141 WORKS CITED 143 vii vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Comparative study of features of Technological tools used in dance 93 viii viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Hand gesture Kartarimukha 72 Figure 4.1: The Triangle of Music 104 Figure 4.2: Virtual Collaboration rehearsal (East Lansing, July 2011) 109 Figure 4.3: Virtual Collaborative performance by Shreelina Ghosh and Rahul Acharya 110 Figure 4.4: Screenshot of Mahabharata by Devraj Patnaik's dance company. (Photo credit: Chitralekha Odissi Dance Creations) 113 ix ix 3 KUSHILAV SUCHI : GLOSSARY OF TERMS Abhinaya: This means expression. This is a part of the Odissi repertoire, which is expressional. Movements of the body, gestures and emotions depict a story. In Indian classical dance, these stories come from Hindu mythologies. However, dancers also choreograph on non- religious themes. Angika: In Sanskrit language, this translates to “belonging to the body.” According to Natyashastra, or the treatise of Indian dramatics, Angika refers to the meaning-making gestures that the dancers perform, using their bodies in order to tell a story. Dancers use their eyes, hands, legs, head, chest, feet, etc. to tell a story. Avatar: In Sanskrit, the meaning of this word corresponds to the words “to descent.” In the Hindu mythology, the deity Vishnu took various forms, or avatars, and descended on the earth at various points of time. The shapes, which Vishnu took, were that of the fish, the turtle, the boar, the half-man and half-lion, the dwarf, the bearer of an axe, a virtuous king, a warrior bearing a plough and the Enlightened Man (the Buddha). The last avatar will be Kalki and according to this myth, he will come on a horse. 3 This means “a list of characters in classical Sanskrit drama (Natyashastra). This is a list of Sanskrit, Hindi and Oriya words, which I will use in the dissertation. Readers can use this list for quick reference. Since these concepts are participants in the “drama” that the dissertation presents, I decided to use this metaphor. This glossary does not aim to present a complete explanation of the terms. I simply define them according to there specific use in context of this dissertation. x x Bandha: This is an acrobatic form of dance practiced in Eastern India by the gotipuas. Guru Maguni Das, a gotipua Guru, revived this style of dance. Several Gotipuas perform this group dance by forming different structures with their bodies. Ancient temple walls of Orissa bear sculptures that denote bodies forming pyramidal shapes. This dance style derives from the concept found in these sculptures. Bhava: These are emotions aroused in the dancer when he/she performs an expressional dance. Geeta Govinda: A 12th Century poet from Orissa (India), Jayadeva, wrote these verses on the love play of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. The Maharis of temples used to perform dance while singing these verses from this Sanskrit text. Gotipua: In Odissi, male dancers perform a version of dance called “Gotipua” dance. “Goti” means one, and “pua” means boy in Oriya language. In this tradition, the boys dance dressed as girls. Guru: Guru is the Master. He/she is an important figure in the pedagogic culture of the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, the Guru shares a sacred relationship with the student. Guru-Shishya Tradition: This is the ancient master-student tradition. Hindu (also Hinduism): It is the religion followed by a majority of people in the Indian subcontinent. Jagannath: Odissi dancers primarily worship Jagannath during a dance performance. This Hindu deity is represented by a stump of wood with two more wood pieces (representing hands) jutting out from the two sides. The round eyes are the most characteristic features of this deity. Maharis danced in the temple of Jagannath in the coastal town of Puri in eastern India. xi xi Jayadeva: A 12th Century poet from Orissa (India), Jayadeva, wrote Geeta Govinda, These are lyrical verses on the love play of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. The Maharis of temples used to perform dance while singing these verses from this Sanskrit text. Krishna: This is the Hindu deity. He has blue-hued skin, holds a flute, and often accompanies his beloved Radha. Labanotation: There is a method of depicting dance through a series of images.