Dancing Kathmandu

Sangita was born in the Czech Republic but lived in Nepal with her parents until the age of 18. Now she returns there to do research for a dissertation on Nepalese traditional dances. The Himalayan kingdom has undergone profound cultural changes. Beena Joshi, her teacher of tantric dance, has been out of work for ten years due to the fact that the majority of dance schools have given themselves over to flashy Bollywood choreography. The new trend for undulating bodies has almost completely destroyed the spiritual dimension of Nepalese dance. Through interviews with Beena Joshi, film directors and dance school directors and students we learn about the fundamental issues which have led to this transformation. The film Dancing Kathmandu tells a story of nostalgia, desire and the fight for survival of both traditional dance itself and its practitioners in an age of globalisation.