ABSTRACT
An issue of Choreography and Dance specifically devoted to South Asian dance in Britain has been long overdue. The traditional ‘classical’ dances of the subcontinent (the use of Western categories does not always accurately describe non-Western artistic forms but it serves the purpose of giving an intelligible, shorthand explanation) have undergone fission, have been deconstructed and have become part of a contemporary dance idiom. Some of the most innovative work has taken place because of interaction of dancers from other traditions with Western (or Western trained) contemporary dancers and/or because it was conceived in a global context. The British experience has been very important in connection with such developments. Some readers may find ambiguity in the phrase ‘British experience’ and some, especially non-British readers, may wonder what exactly South Asian dance is.
