Fusion, Identity and Digital Visibility in Contemporary Indian Dance
Author(s): Samridhi Saini
Publication #: 2610007
Date of Publication: 12.10.2026
Country: India
Pages: 1-5
Published In: Volume 12 Issue 5 October-2026
Abstract
Contemporary Indian dance is increasingly shaped by the meeting of classical vocabularies, street dance forms and the experiences of diaspora and mixed heritage. This paper examines two cases of such fusion: the choreographer Kumari Suraj, who combines Bharatanatyam, Waacking and hip hop in a style called Bollywaack, and the Chicago-based twin dancers Poonam and Priyanka Shah, who blend Bharatanatyam with Popping in a style called Bfusion. Drawing on published interviews, secondary scholarship and the dancers’ online presence, the paper reads their work through Homi Bhabha’s idea of the third space and Eric Hobsbawm’s idea of invented tradition. It is argued that fusion allows these artists to remain connected to inherited classical forms while claiming individual, gendered and cultural self-expression, and that digital platforms have become the stage on which this negotiation is made visible to global audiences.
Keywords: Contemporary Indian Dance, Fusion, Bharatanatyam, Hybridity, Diaspora, Third Space, Digital Media
Download/View Count: 1
Share this Article