Rukmini Devi Arundale: 1904-1986

Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986) was a towering, multifaceted personality who worked for many causes, including the revival of theatre, arts, rafts, literature, animal welfare, Theosophy and art education. The essays in this book endeavour to capture the multifaceted cultural and aesthetic legacy of Rukmini Devi preserved both in India and abroad. They are authored by a wide range of Indian and international scholars, including dance critics, dance administrators, dancers, dance teachers, bureaucrats, and alumni of the world-renowned Kalakshetra arts institution that Rukmini Devi founded in 1936. the authors delineate specific aspects of her public life as a Bharatanatyam dancer, Theosophist, arts educator, institution builder, teacher, producer of dance dramas, and Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board. The essays also discuss Rukmini Devi’s aesthetic vision in relation to history, to tradition, to classicism, her engagement with canonical Sanskrit texts, her creation of ensemble dance-drama productions, and contemporary dance in the United Kingdom.