Speaker: Pratibha Tuladhar

Lecturer, Asian Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

Abstract: This paper examines, though primary and secondary sources, the evolution of Newah women’s participation in dancing activities and events. It explores the traditional values, which guided and/or restricted women’s mobility in terms of participating and performing in activities such as dancing. The paper, with a focus on Kathmandu Valley evidence, attempts to understand the cultural and historical context that permitted or restricted women from dancing or participating in public performances. This is an attempt to refer to records of Newah women performing dances traditionally to understand their role as participants in public or private spaces. While other communities in Nepal have occasions such as Teej, rodhi, dohori, jwari and many more where women are able to participate in dancing and singing with community members, no such space or opportunity has existed for Newah women traditionally. During the Rana regime, Newah women were among those trained at palaces to perform as courtesans, just as women from all over Nepal were. While the women from bhaju or “upper caste” communities were not expected to dance, they were allowed to watch women from other communities dance during religious events. This paper tries to understand how the caste system has impacted Newah women’s liberty to participate in dances. It tries to understand how, when commercial theatres emerged in Nepal, Kathmandu also saw its first Newah women dancing on stage. The study focuses on how Newa women’s ability and opportunity to dance has evolved as the use of social media platforms such as TikTok become ubiquitous and the society opens up to mixed-community collaborations. This research is based on mixed tools such as interviews with primary sources and citation from secondary resources to understand the historical context of dancing for women in Newah culture. 

Keywords: dance, religion, performance, women, men, caste, culture, tradition, society, mixed-community, social media