Recounting a rhythmic life

Writing about icons is not easy. One is usually confronted with an immense amount of biographical material that has been self-consciously produced for the public domain. Consequently, there is a repetitive strain in the narratives that celebrate the icon in question. In the case of Bala, the celebrated danseuse of the 20th century, the problem is further compounded as she belonged to a family whose artistic location and achievements tend to fit a particular mode of narration. 

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