Kathak

Last Updated on March 4, 2017

Kathak :

  • Kathak is one of the eight classical dances of our country
  • Kathak is believed to have originated from the Nomadic Bards of Northern India (Kathakars)
  • Kathak is a dance that involves story telling through the dance (Katha Means Story)
  • The dance includes both mime and dance alternatively
  • Kathak dance generally has a dramatic Climax

Kathak : (Short Essay)

Kathak is one of the major classical dances of India. Kathak originated from Northern India through a group of Nomadic Bards. Katha means “Story telling” and Kathak means “art of story telling”. So Kathak is a dance that tells a story through alternative passages of mime and dance. Kathak dance is more or less similar to the classical dance Bharatnatyam. Kathak is generally performed with the dancer standing straight legged. Dancers wear ankles which sound according to the movements of the legs. This makes the dance more enchanting and musical to the ears because Kathak emphasizes more on footwork. Kathak is a dance that was practised both men and women and till this day it’s the same way.

Kathak : (Brief Essay)

There are eight major classical dances in India. Kathak is one among them. The word Kathak is believed to be derived from the word “Katha” which means story. And so, Kathak means “The Art of Story Telling”. Kathak was originated from Northern India. Nomadic Bards of Ancient India who were called Kathakars (meaning story teller) are believed to be the originators of this great dance.

Kathak is performed as a dance composition:

  • The short dance composition is called Tukra
  • The long dance composition is called Toda

Kathak, like other classical dances, has a  unique and expressive performance style. The way of showing this feeling or to show Bhaav is called “Bhhaav Bataanaa”.  The dance contains temple and ritual dances. Though the dance was perceived in the beginning, it got the influence of Bhakthi movement later.

Kathak is a dance that is practiced both by men and women. The costume for men includes:

  • Bare chested on top and dhoti at the bottom (in Bengali Style)
  • Mughal costumer (Kurta Churidar)
  • Angarkha

Female costumes include:

  • Traditional costume – Saree
  • Lehanga Choli Combination
  • Mughal Costume – Angarkha

Other than these, men might wear peaked caps on head. The dancers wear anklets called Ghungru (which has around 300 bells). Since, Kathak is a dance that consists more footwork, the sound of these bells accompany as music to the dance. The musical instruments that accompany Kathak are:

  • Esraj
  • Pakhawaj
  • Harmonium
  • Santhur
  • Dilruba
  • Bansur
  • Santur
  • Sarangi
  • Tabla
  • Sarod
  • Tanpura
  • Sarod
  • Surmandal

Kathak dance is not restricted to a particular set of procedural steps. A kathak o dancer can change styles and steps according to his or her skill and styles of dancing. The famous Kathak dancers are Birju Maharaj and Uma Sharma.