Paper Details

Abstract The convergence of digital technology and traditional Indian dance in the twenty-first century has brought forth both new opportunities and difficulties for cultural innovation and preservation. With its origins in temple rituals and the guru-shishya parampara, Bharatanatyam is one of India's oldest and most codified classical dance forms. However, it is currently undergoing a significant transformation in response to the increasing impact of digital media and global connectivity. Examining how digital platforms like YouTube, Zoom, Instagram, and digital archives have changed Bharatanatyam's methods of performance, pedagogy, audience engagement, and cultural transmission, this paper examines the art form's changing identity in a technologically advanced society. The study critically examines issues of authenticity, embodiment, dislocation, and aesthetic transformation while placing this shift within the larger frameworks of performance studies, digital humanities, and postcolonial theory. The study explores how technology can be both an enabler and a disruptor, using qualitative techniques such as performance analysis, ethnographic observation, and practitioner interviews. It draws attention to the ways that livestreamed performances, online dance lessons, and algorithmic social media visibility are democratizing access, redefining traditional hierarchies, and redefining Bharatanatyam's role in the world of culture.

Keywords: Bharatanatyam, digital media, classical dance, cultural transmission, performance studies, digital humanities, postcolonial identity