Exploring masculinity through Nagara dance

THE intricate tapestry of gender and culture finds an intriguing thread in the research of Nico Nehaal Ramdhani, a dancer and academic whose study delves into the world of Nagara dancers in Durban and how they navigate their masculinity before, during and beyond performance.

- TASCHICA PILLAY

In his Master's thesis, titled "Queering Masculinity: Engaging the Performance and Meaning among Nagara Dancers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal", Ramdhani unravels the complexities of masculinity as expressed through the devotional and performative acts of these dancers, who typically don women's clothing while performing religious dances.

Ramdhani, 32, from Reservoir Hills, graduated with a Master of Theology in Gender, Religion and Health from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

His decision to explore queering masculinity within the context of Nagara dancing emerged from a personal and scholarly intersection.

The roots of Nagara dancing trace back to the 1860s when Indian indentured labourers brought the tradition to South Africa as a means of cultural preservation and entertainment.

Nagara, often performed during Hindu religious festivals, especially goddess worship, is traditionally associated with male dancers who embody both devotional and performative roles of the Goddess Saraswathi.

"Using queer theory, gender performativity and religious dance frameworks, I explored how dance becomes a medium for expressing an expanded form of masculinity - one that is devotional, fluid and resistant to binary categorisation.

"I observed that these dancers frequently blur the boundaries between masculine and feminine expression through embodiment and religious dance, yet remain under-theorised in academic discourse," he said.