01974nas a2200217   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653002000043653001000063653002400073653002300097653002600120653001100146100001900157245009900176856011800275300001000393490000700403520132600410022002001736                                       d10acultural policy10adance10aintangible heritage10aInvented tradition10aKālbeliyā community10aUNESCO1 aAyla Joncheere00aIntangible Inventions: The Kalbeliya Gypsy Dance Form, From Its Creation to UNESCO Recognition  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018542185&partnerID=40&md5=4737da796492ccce8905618e8293d01d  a71-930 v833 aDespite the creation of the Kalbeliya (Kālbeliyā) dance form in the 1980s, it was recognized as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2010. Rajasthani "Gypsy" performances, featuring a dance designed by the nomadic Kalbeliya community, have quickly become popular among tourists in India as well as on Western world music stages. The state of Rajasthan, where the Kalbeliyas hail from, is celebrated as "India s heritage state" by the Indian government as it seeks to promote tourism and the international dissemination of Indian culture through performances and festivals. In this paper, I sketch the history of the Kalbeliya dance form from its origins in the 1980s through to the UNESCO nomination in 2010. Moreover, I discuss the effects of its recognition as a world heritage dance tradition. The official approval of the Kalbeliya dance form as a heritage activity further highlights the challenges to UNESCO s candidate selection process. This paper aims to explain the reasons for the nomination of the Kalbeliya dance form (how and why UNESCO was persuaded to recognize it as a suitable candidate) by connecting this to the continued processes of nationalism and romanticism, the economic strategies adopted by the cultural tourism industry and the commodification and commercialization of Indian folk arts.  a00448699 (ISSN)