The Past in the Present: The Religious and Royal Dimension of Newar Traditional Dance Theatre, Nepal

Abstract: This essay links the contemporary dance theatre of the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal to the medieval Malla theatre that was staged from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries by the same Newar ethnic group. A detailed study of both types of performance, ancient and present-day, shows that a remarkable persistence has been at work through the centuries, even after the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. This research particularly focuses on two prevalent past and present aspects of these performances: their religious and kingly dimensions. Examples drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in urban and rural environments are provided. By way of conclusion, the essay explores the social and political significance of these plays in present-day Nepal. Performing dance theatre today revives the Malla golden age and compensates in many ways for the downgraded status to which Newars have been relegated over the last two centuries in Nepal.