AMBUSCADE

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Kathak (Storytelling)

To be honest, the reason I started to learn Kathak was because I had seen
some older girls in my town do it and wanted to be able to dress up, wear
makeup and dance on stage like they did. I decided to stay with it
throughout all the years because it was a unique and strong way for me to
connect to my culture. - Tanvi Inani
The term Kathak is derived from the Sikh (under the Gurmukhi script)
word katha meaning story, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit
word katthya and katthaka in Sanskrit means s/he who tells a story, or to do with
stories. The name of the form is properly कतथक katthak, but this has since simplified
to modern-day कथक kathak. ‘Katha kahe so kathak kahaave’ is a saying many
teachers pass on to their pupils, which is generally translated as ‘she/he who tells a
story, is a kathak’, but which can also be translated, ‘that which tells a story, that is
Kathak’ (Wikipedia).
Kathak is a partly narrated North Indian classical dance form that was developed by
nomads. It was commonly performed in courts of Muslim Rajas. Today, its form
contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti
movement. From the 16th century onwards it took on certain features of Persian
dance and Central Asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of
the Mughal era (Wikipedia).
Kathak is used to depict rasalilas, which are dances of divine love
betweenKrishna (Hindu heroic god) and Radha (Krishna’s childhood friend and a
lover of Krishna).
Kathak, like Bharatanatyam, is a classical dance. However, there are some key
differences. For instance, Kathak has limited or no hip movements. Kathak is also
based on the use of fast footwork known as tatkar as well as spins known
as chakkar.
Kathak is also known for its innovative use of devotional moods in abhinayas. Aside
from the traditional expressive or abhinaya pieces performed to
a bhajan, ghazal or thumri, Kathak also possesses and utilizes a particular
performance style of expressional pieces called bhaav bataanaa (lit. ‘to
show bhaav or ‘feeling’). It is a mode where abhinaya dominates, and arose in
the Mughal court. It is more suited to the mehfil or the darbar environment, because
of the proximity of the performer to the audience, who can more easily see the
nuances of the dancer’s facial expression. Consequently, it translates to the
modern proscenium stage with difficulty. A thumri is sung, and once the mood is
set, a line from the thumri is interpreted with facial abhinaya and hand movements
while seated. This continues for an indefinite period, limited only by the dancer’s
interpretative abilities (Wikipedia).

While Bharatanatyam has many sitting and bent

knee postures, Kathak has more of a standing posture. One of the most common
stances is the diamond stance, where one foot crosses over the other and the knees
are slightly bent. The legs then form a diamond shape.
“The structure of a conventional Kathak performance tends to follow a progression
in tempo from slow to fast, ending with a dramatic climax. A short danced
composition is known as atukra, a longer one as a toda. There are also compositions
consisting solely of footwork. Often the performer will engage in rhythmic ‘play’
with the time-cycle, splitting it into triplets or quintuplets for example, which will be
marked out on the footwork, so that it is in counterpoint to the rhythm on the
percussion” (Wikipedia).
There is also a difference in the costumes. Kathak performers usually wear their hair
in a simple braid, unlike Bharatanatyam performers who wear a braid with a sun
and moon decoration. Although the costumers are made out of silk, kathak
costumes aren’t quite as elegant as Bharatanatyam costumes.
Kathak performers used to wear saris, but now they wear long skirts and tops
known as lehenga cholis. Both Bharatanatyam and Kathak performers wear brass
bells on their ankles. However, the bells of a Kathak performer are normally on a
rope rather than a leather belt, which is the Bharatanatyam style.
I was lucky to find Tanvi Inani, a University of Iowa student. She has danced Kathak
for many years and was able to give me a lot of good information. We met at Halsey
Hall one night to arrange for me to shoot her photos. I had a lot of fun, although it
was really warm in there. I’m not sure how Tanvi survived in all that silk!
Please click on the YouTube video below to see more of the pictures. As usual,
YouTube decreased the resolution, so they don’t look as good as they normally
would.
ON THE POPPRESSED RADAR Crumpled City Maps

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This entry was posted on May 12, 2010 at 9:18 pm and filed
underCreative/Concept/Thematic,My Photography,People/Portraits,South Asian
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