ABSTRACT
The gym of the small rural school in south-western Norway is packed with children. Indian Kathak dancer Mahua Shankar, in a bright orange and yellow traditional dress, is pirouetting across the floor to the accompaniment of Mitilesh Kumar’s whirling tabla beats. As she stops turning and starts to imitate the drum beats by pounding the floor with her own bare feet, something happens among the younger children seated on mats and low benches at the front of the audience. A pair of small feet start tapping the floor, immediately followed by others, and in a matter of seconds, foot-tapping, stepping and waving has spread to all the first and second graders in the front rows. While a couple of the teachers seem to be on the verge of interrupting the spontaneous reaction, the performers make encouraging nods and gestures, inspiring the children to continue as the performance builds up to a chaotic climax of sound and movement.
