Kathak Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
HistoryKathak is an Indian dance form similar to Bharatanatyam that arose out of the Vaishnava devotees dancing to the episodes from Krishna's life. Originally a Northern Indian temple dance, it was transformed to a court dance in the Mughal era. The new Muslim influence brought with it certain changes to the dance form: what had been a largely devotional practice now became more a courtly entertainment, and to that end various changes were effected. The demi-plié stance of most other Indian dance forms gave way to straight legs, and as many as 150 ankle bells on each leg were worn, to emphasise the newly complex footwork. It was also during this period that the signature 'chakrs' (spins) of Kathak were introduced. The straight-legged position gave a new vitality to the footwork, which wove percussive rhythms in its own right, whether together with or in complement to the tabla and pakhawaj. Although now substantially different from the other Indian dance forms, the roots of the style are the same, and as such it displays a consanguineity with the others, particularly in the hand-formations during story-telling, and some of the body-postures.
As Kathak grew in popularity throughout Northern India, three main schools or 'gharana's emerged: Lucknow, Jaipur, and Benares (Varanasi). The Lucknow Gharana placed emphasis on the abhinaya and natya elements or expressional qualities of the dancing; it was famed for its subtlety and grace; this contrasted sharply with the Jaipur Gharana, which became renowned for highly intricate and complex footwork, and fast, sharp accurate dancing.
Current Status
After a period of decline during the Raj (where it was frowned upon by Victorian administrators), Kathak has now regained some of its popularity not only in India, but throughout the world, and is recognised as one of the seven classical dance forms of India.
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