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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 March 2005 |
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Kathak
Kathak is an Indian dance form that arose from 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 'chakars' (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.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 May 2006 )
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Kathak 
