Nautch on the Shore

Indian variety performance and traveling performers in Blackpool.

50 variety performers - dancers, acrobats, snake-charmers, conjurors, and artisans – toured Britain as an Indian village in the 20s and 30s. These performers and performances represented an idea of India to many people at the time. How were the individuals, communities and Indian institutions perceived by audiences in Blackpool?

This talk, based on new research done in Showtown's collections of early Blackpool performance explores the relationship of empire, migration, and performance cultures in inter-war Britain. The talk will showcase the collection images showing the Indian performers and explore the news articles of the day.

Dr Debanjali Biswas is the Showtown TaPRA fellow. The fellowship is a funded research project aiming to reveal the histories and presence of individuals from the global majority in Blackpool’s entertainment, both past and present.