Classical Dance (kathak)
“Dance is the timeless interpretation of life.”
― Shah Asad Rizvi
Kathak is one of the eight predominant styles of Indian classical dance which is filled with grace, elegance, and patience. The origin of Kathak comes from tracing back to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers. The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means “story”, and Kathakar which means “the one who tells a story”, or “to do with stories”. Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs, and music. Through their hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility, but mostly through their facial expressions, the kathak dancers tell stories that you may have never heard, or even if you have it’s presented in a way you may have never seen.
There are 3 different forms of Kathak, called “gharanas”, named after the cities where the traditional Kathak Dance was in the process of evolution- Jaipur, Banaras, and Lucknow. While the foot movements are covered by the Jaipur Gharana, the Banaras and Lucknow gharanas focus more on facial expressions and graceful hand movements. Eloquently, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, embellished with small bells (Ghungroo), and this movement is harmonized with music. The legs and torso are usually straight, and the tale is told via a vocabulary developed primarily based totally on arm and torso movements, facial expressions, neck movements, eye, and eyebrow movements, stage movements, bends, and twisting gestures. The foremost recognition of this dance form is the motion of the eyes and feet. The eyes work as a medium of communication for the story that the dancer is trying to communicate. With the eyebrows, the dancer gives various facial expressions. Sway to the sound of bells, with the most elegant form of dance.
Sway to the sound of bells, in the most elegant form of dance. Learn to tell your story through us, at the Gurukul Dance Studios.