The Impact of Television

Classical dancers were the harbingers of India’s rich performing arts traditions, aided by organisations like the Sangeet Natak Akademi (1952) and the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1950). Their influence on popular imagination began to wane as Indians were exposed to new dance styles on television. It led practitioners like Gopi Kishan, Kumudini

Lakhia and Birju Maharaj to choreograph for Hindi films.