The revival of Indian classical dance forms in the 1900s was closely linked to India's struggle to overthrow British rule. Thanks to the non-violent spiritual leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, freedom became a reality and democracy became a political choice. Indians increasingly transformed themselves from their medieval and feudal past and took steps towards a new national identity. Amid this turmoil, the future of Indian dance was threatened. 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 Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayIn South and East 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 therefore could not marry any human. Nevertheless, they were free to choose partners and maintain relationships. These relationships can be long and stable, or simply short-lived. But these women were in no way economically dependent on their partners. They danced and sang in temples or before royalty and earned gold and land as rewards. The British failed to understand this system and began to view Devadasis as prostitutes. They also found the movements very erotic and therefore banned temple dancing. Similarly, in northern India, Kathak dance traditions were little appreciated by the public. In North India, Kathak was performed by storytellers in temples as well as courts to please the Nawabs. Again, the Victorians publicly announced that this art form was openly vulgar and referred to it as "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 looked down upon and seen as a means of livelihood for women of very low status in society. Indian dance was no longer represented as being capable of giving symbolic representation to abstract religious ideas and was incapable of representing stories of gods and heroes through graceful gestures; it was simply obscene. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article 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 by launching an anti-Nautch Campaign to eradicate not only prostitution which was now associated with devadasis, but also art itself, condemning it as a social evil. During the first quarter of the 20th century, South Indian classical dance was almost wiped out, even in Tamil Nadu. The status of the dance and those who practiced it was so low that it inspired little confidence among the public in search of national culture..