Online Courtesans, Bar Girls and Dancing Boys: The Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance Book

Courtesans, Bar Girls and Dancing Boys: The Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance book is written by Anna Morcom. Until the 1930s no woman could perform in public and retain respectability in India. Professional female performers were courtesans and dancing girls who lived beyond the confines of marriage, but were often powerful figures in social and cultural life. Women's roles were often also taken by boys and men, some of whom were simply female impersonators, others transgender.