| Abstract: |
For 30 years, Lao exiles in France have devoted their lives to economic and social integration, and are now engaged in the revitalisation of their cultural and artistic traditions, of which the old court dance is one of their favourites. Taught in several places by ballet masters who emigrated a long time ago, and by newly trained initiates, its transmission is erratic and its transformation inevitable. In spite of these changes, dance remains an emblem of Lao identity, and is the core of a quest for tradition which is, simultanously, a growing phenomenon in the Lao PDR. Exiles and domestic Lao thus compete for authenticity and legitimacy, revealing the political dimension of culture.
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