Kathak

One of the classical dance forms of
India; some of the others are
Bharatanatyam, Orissi, Kuchipudi,
Kathakali, and Manipuri. Like much
of traditional Indian culture, classical
dances are identified with certain
regions; Kathak is primarily found in
northern India. Traditionally, Kathak
descended from the ras lilas of Braj,
devotional dances illustrating events
from the life of Krishna. This claim
has little historical support and may
simply reflect the desire to root all of
the Indian arts in religion. It is not disputed, however, that Kathak developed as an art form in the courts of the
northern Indian princes, where it was
performed for the entertainment of
the monarch and his guests. In time,
two major Kathak centers developed:
Jaipur, famous for spectacular footwork; and Lucknow, known for its
attention to acting. Stylistically,
Kathak is marked by an upright posture, with the legs kept straight. The
dance emphasizes rapid, rhythmic
foot patterns, rhythms accentuated by
strings of bells worn on the dancer’s
ankles and complemented by multiple
turns; the torso is kept fairly immobile.
As with all forms of Indian dance,
Kathak includes a well-developed
“vocabulary” of facial expressions and
gestures of the arms and hands that
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Katha
allow the dancer to convey a great
range of emotions to the audience. For
further information see Mohan
Khokar, Traditions of Indian Classical
Dance, 1984.