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Thate,
Basic position |
Kathak
Dance
The word Kathak has been derived from the word Katha which means a
story. Kathakars or story-tellers, are
people who narrate stories largely based on episodes from the epics,
myths
and legends. It probably started as an oral tradition. Mime and
gestures were perhaps added later on to make the recitation more
effective.
Thus evolved a simple form of expressional dance, providing the
origins of what later developed into Kathak as we see it today.
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The
Vaishnavite cult which swept North
India in the 15th century. and
the resultant bhakti movement contributed
to
a whole new range of lyrics and
musical forms. The Radha-Krishna
theme proved immensely popular
alongwith the works of Mirabai,
Surdas, Nandadas and Krishnadas. |
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Raslila,
Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
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The
emergence of Raslila ,
mainly in the Braj region (Mathura in
Western U.P.) was an important
development. It combined in itself
music, dance and the narrative.
Dance in Raslila, however, was
mainly an extension of the basic
mime and gestures of the Kathakars or
story-tellers which blended easily
with the existing traditional
dance.
With
the coming of the Mughals, this
dance form received a new impetus.
A transition from the temple
courtyard to the palace durbar took
place which necessitated changes
in presentation. In both Hindu
and Muslim courts, Kathak became
highly stylised and came to be
regarded as a sophisticated form
of entertainment. Under the Muslims there
was a greater stress on nritya and bhava giving
the dance graceful, expressive
and sensuous
dimensions.
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The
nineteenth century saw the golden
age of Kathak under the patronage
of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab
of Oudh. He established the Lucknow gharana with
its strong accent on bhava,
the expression of moods and emotions.
The Jaipur gharana known
for its layakari or rhythmic
virtuosity and the Benaras gharana are other prominent schools of
Kathak dance. The technique of
movement in Kathak is unique
to it.
The weight of the body is equally distributed along the horizontal
and vertical axis. The full foot contact is of prime importance where
only the toe or the ball of the foot are used, their function is limited.
There are no deflections and no use of sharp bends or curves of the
upper or lower part of the body. Torso movements emerge from the change
of the shoulder line rather than through the manipulations of the backbone
or upper chest and lower waist muscles. In the basic stance, the dancer
stands straight, holds one hand at a level higher than the head and
the other is extended out on the level of the shoulder.
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The
technique is built by the use
of an intricate system of foot-work.
Pure dance (nritta) is all important
where complex rhythmic patterns
are created through the use of
the flat feet and the control
of sound of the ankle bells worn
by the dancer. As in Bharatnatyam,
Odissi and Manipuri, Kathak also
builds its pure dance sequences
by combining units of movement.
The cadences are called differently
by the names tukra, tora,
and parana,
all indicative of the nature
of rhythmic patterns used and
the percussion instrument accompanying
the dance. The dancer commences
with a sequence called That where
soft gliding movements of the
neck, eyebrows and the wrists,
are introduced. This is followed
by a conventional formal entry
known as the Amad (entry)
and the Salami (salutation).
Then follow the various combinations of rhythmic passages all punctuated
with and culminating in a number of pirouettes. The pirouettes are
the most characteristic feature of the dance style in nritta portions.
Recitation of the rhythmic syllables is common; the dancer often pauses
to recite these to a specified metrical cycle followed by execution
through movement. The nritta portion of Kathak is performed to the nagma.
Both the drummer (here the drum is either a pakhawaj, a type of mridangam,
or a pair of tabla) and the dancer weave endless combinations on a
repetitive melodic line. The metrical cycle (tala) of 16, 10, 14 beats
provides the foundation on which the whole edifice of dance is built.
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Angika
Abhinaya |
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Dancer
with Musicians |
In
the mime portions (nritya or abhinaya),
words are not used in
simple numbers called
the gata,
which is performed in
a lyrical manner to gentle
rhythm. These are short
narrative pieces which
portray a brief episode
from Krishna's life.
A poetic line set to
music is interpreted
with gestures in other
numbers, such as the tumri, bhajan, dadra -
all lyrical musical compositions.
In these sections, there is a word to word or line to line
synchronisation in the same fashion as in Bharatnatyam or Odissi.
Both in nritta (pure dance) and the abhinaya (mime)
there is immense scope for improvisation of presenting variations
on a theme. The interpretative and the abstract dance techniques
are interwoven into each other, and the dancer's greatness
lies in his capacity for improvisation on the melodic and metric
line on the one hand and the poetic line on the other.
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Today,
Kathak has emerged as a distinct
dance form. Being the only
classical dance of India
having links with Muslim
culture, it represents a
unique synthesis of Hindu
and Muslim genius in art.
Further, Kathak is the only
form of classical dance wedded
to Hindustani or the North
Indian music. Both of them
have had a parallel growth,
each feeding and sustaining
the other. |
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Under
the aegis of Ministry
of Culture,
Government of India
15-A, Sector - 7, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075
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Centre for Cultural Resources and Training
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Telephone:(011)
25088638,
47151000
Fax: 91-11-25088637,
Gram: CENCULT
E-mail:- dg.ccrt@nic.in
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