Nautch Dancing School (ETW building)
| Nautch Dancing School | |
|---|---|
| Category: | Culture |
| Level: | 0 |
| Turns to build: | 2 |
| Building cost: | 750 |
| |
| Enables | |
 School of the Arts | |
Dancing has a long history in India, both as entertainment and act of worship. Nautch dancing is for entertaining people, not honouring the gods!
The dancers draw on Hindu temple traditions, but their dances are secular. All styles of dance can fall into the category of Nautch, but the dancers are always well-presented and graceful girls. Indeed, a career as a Nautch girl can be a way for a girl to work her way out of poverty or a low social caste. Good performers can find work in the courts of rulers from nawabs to zamindars, and their presence adds considerable lustre to any formal event. Muslim rulers also employ Nautch dancers to entertain their guests.
Historically, Nautch dancing rose to prominence under the Mughal emperors but they continued to be popular, even when the British East India Company took over much of the administration of the Indian sub-continent.