One Hindu American leader is urging the Houston Ballet to cut a controversial show out of its 2020-2021 lineup, Eurasia reports.
The Houston Ballet is set to perform La Bayadère, a ballet depicting an epic romance in India. According to Eurasia, the ballet, which roughly translates to “The Temple Dancer,” has long come under fire for representing Western imperialist views and caricatures of Eastern culture.
“It was highly irresponsible for a community organization to choose such a ballet which had been blamed for patronizing flawed mishmash of orientalist stereotypes, dehumanizing cultural portrayal and misrepresentation, offensive and degrading elements, [and] needless cultural appropriation… ” Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said in a recent press release.
“Houston Ballet could do better than this to serve the diverse Houston communities,” Zed added.
In addition to withdrawing the ballet from its program, Zed is also demanding a formal apology as well as urging the company’s leadership to “re-evaluate its systems and procedures,” Eurasia reports. Zed also requested that all employees undergo cultural sensitivity training.
“Houston Ballet, with sponsors like United Airlines and Houston Methodist, should have shown some maturity before selecting a ballet like ‘La Bayadère,’” Zed said.
Some problematic aspects of La Bayadère include its seemingly random combinations of Hindu temples, Persian costumes, and the character Golden Idol (which draws inspiration from Buddhism), Pointe reports.
“Nothing about La Bayadère is actually Indian—not the music, the story, the characters, the choreography, the collaborators,” Phil Chan said, according to Pointe. Chan co-founded Final Bow for Yellowface, an organization that aims to call out Asian stereotyping in the performing arts.
“It’s a fantasy depiction of Indian culture by Western artists for a homogenous Western audience,” Chan added.
In early March, Chan collaborated with the Pennsylvania Ballet and Director Angel Corella in a revamp of La Bayadère. While changes in the choreography were made, improvements could still be made with costumes and setting, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“Most of the Bayadère costumes featured turbans, veils. Nearly every woman’s costume has a bare midriff. Shirtless fakirs lope across the stage on hands and feet,” the piece noted. “Corella’s new Bayadère is a feast for the eyes and a step in the right direction, but the stereotypes that exist are difficult to ignore.”
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