From private 'folk' to 'Indian/Rajasthani Gypsy' dance on global stages to Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO): the history of Kalbeliya dance (ca. 1960 to the present)

This project presents a first in-dept study of Kalbeliya dance, focusing on its transformations from a folk dance practised exclusively at home, to a folk dance performed in public. The study aims to answer the following questions: What are the historical evolutions that can be osbserved from the sixties ('pure dance') to the present ('performing art')? And how is Kalbeliya dance conceptualized within the broader context of 'Classical' Indian dance versus 'Folk' dance.