Dancing Spirit, Love, and War: Performing the Translocal Realities of Contemporary Fiji (Studies in Dance History) (Paperback)

Dancing Spirit, Love, and War: Performing the Translocal Realities of Contemporary Fiji (Studies in Dance History) By Evadne Kelly Cover Image
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Description


Meke, a traditional rhythmic dance accompanied by singing, signifies an important piece of identity for Fijians. Despite its complicated history of colonialism, racism, censorship, and religious conflict, meke remained a vital part of artistic expression and culture. Evadne Kelly performs close readings of the dance in relation to an evolving landscape, following the postcolonial reclamation that provided dancers with political agency and a strong sense of community that connected and fractured Fijians worldwide.
Through extensive archival and ethnographic fieldwork in both Fiji and Canada, Kelly offers key insights into an underrepresented dance form, region, and culture. Her perceptive analysis of meke will be of interest in dance studies, postcolonial and Indigenous studies, anthropology and performance ethnography, and Pacific Island studies.

About the Author


Evadne Kelly is an independent artist-scholar. Her research focuses on the political and social dimensions of dance traditions and her publications appear in Pacific Arts Journal, The Dance Current, Performance Matters, and Fiji Times.


Product Details
ISBN: 9780299322045
ISBN-10: 0299322041
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Publication Date: June 28th, 2022
Pages: 256
Language: English
Series: Studies in Dance History