The revival of Indian classical dance forms in the 1900s was closely linked to India's struggle to overthrow British rule. Through the spiritual and nonviolent leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, freedom became a reality and democracy became the political choice. Indians were increasingly transformed from their medieval and feudal past and had taken steps towards a new national identity. In the midst of this turmoil, the future of Indian dance was in jeopardy. Under British rule, propaganda prevailed against Indian art, falsely presenting it as crude, immoral and inferior to the concepts of Western civilization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In southern and eastern India, the devadasi (temple dance) tradition had degenerated into de facto prostitution. Devadasi means “servant of God”. These women were dedicated to God and were considered married to God, meaning they could therefore not marry any human being. However, they were free to choose partners and have affairs. These relationships could be long and stable or just for a short period of time. But these women were not in any way economically dependent on their partners. They danced and sang in temples or in front of royalty and earned gold and lands as rewards. The British could not understand this system and started considering Devadasis as prostitutes. They also found the moves very erotic and therefore banned the temple dance. Similarly, in North India, Kathak dance traditions were held in low regard by the public. In North India, Kathak was performed by storytellers in temples and courts to please the Nawabs. Once again the Victorians publicly announced that the art form was openly vulgar and called it "nautch", which meant "dance performed by a girl to seduce a man into obedience". It was a difficult time for this art form as it was despised and considered a means of livelihood for women of very low status in society. Indian dance was no longer represented as capable of giving symbolic representation to abstract religious ideas and was no longer capable of representing stories of gods and heroes through graceful gestures; it was simply obscene. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social reformers under Western influence took advantage of these circumstances, launching an anti-Nautch campaign to eradicate not only the prostitution that had become associated with the devadasi, but art itself, condemning it as a social evil. In the first quarter of the 20th century, South Indian classical dance was almost wiped out, even in Tamil Nadu. The status of dance and those who practiced it had sunk so low that it inspired little confidence in the public seeking national culture.