Staging Statecraft: Dance Festivals and Cultural Representations in Konark, Odisha, India

Dance festivals at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sun Temple of Konark, India, serve as choreographed spaces that shape cultural heritage and statecraft. The study reveals how these festivals juxtapose the temple's archaeological value with the cultural significance of dance, raising critical questions about negotiations, appropriations, and discomfort inherent in such processes. It also examines broader cultural discourses, including historical, diplomatic, and touristic networks, influenced by the festival. Through ethnography, visual analysis, and choreographic examination, the research explores how Odissi dance—remodeled into a state-recognized classical form post-1936—has become an anthropomorphic symbol of Odisha's geopolitical identity. This work highlights the representational aspects of regional-state dynamics in dance, which inform the staging of the Konark Dance Festival.

Banerjee, M. (2024). Staging Statecraft: Dance Festivals and Cultural Representations in Konark, Odisha, India. Arts, 13(6), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13060166