Asavari has the 7 notes of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni and the 7 colors of the rainbow
Kathak Dance Drama - Asavari's Annual Concert 2010
Story, Dialogue, Direction and Music selection by Gargi Bagchi
Kathak performance by Gargi and her students of Asavari and drama performance
by the friends of our American & Indo-Pak community
"Katha kahe so Kathak"
Kathak is the classical dance style of North India. The word Kathak is derived from katha , meaning "a story", and hence the word Kathak means a storyteller who recounted mythological tales in the temples and danced them in a state of ecstasy. Having its origin in the sacred text known as the Natya Shastra , set to be divinely inspired through the sage Bharata, it has become one of the most comprehensive and expressive languages of movement in the world.
With the advent of the Mogul rule in India (11th-18th centuries), it was transformed from a temple dance to court dance and became a brilliant entertainment. It was recognized in its innovative aspect by the Mogul emperors, especially the poet king Wajid Ali Shah who rescued it from oblivion, lent it dignity and founded the famed Lucknow Garana.
This dance form depicts "life" and is based on the philosophy of the trinity - creation (Brahma), preservation (Vishnu), and destruction (Mahesh). Its poses are seldom static and it has a continuous flow of movements very near to life. Equal stress is laid on intricate footwork and beauty of expression. It is two-dimensional in character; it conceives the space basically in straight lines and does not put emphasis on giving a three-dimensional effect. The human form is conceived as a straight line and there are very few deviations from the vertical median.
Kathak can be divided into nritta and abhinayaon the one hand and tandava and lasya on the other. Nritta and abhinaya are applicable to the movements in the dance style. Tandava and lasya have to do with the type of numerics which are played on the tabla or executed by the feet.
Kathak is unique for its Footworks and Circles. It is for both male and female.
Kathak can be danced with a wide variety of music. Here are some of them:
1. Slokas
(Sanskrit / Hindi) and Bhajans (devotional songs for Hindu
Gods and Goddesses). Please see the Lyrics of Bhajans.
2. Classical and Light Classical Songs e.g.
Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Hori.
3. Film songs preferably based on Ragas
4. Darbari and Ghazals (mainly
Urdu) - songs based on love, admiration, infatuation, seperation etc. For
examples of Ghazals, you may see Ghazals of Mirza
Ghalib. You may
consult the English-Urdu
Dictionary.
5. Pure Classical type e.g. Paran,
Tukda, Gat Nikas, Jugalbandi (a friendly competition), Sawal-Jawab (footwork
with tabla or pakhawaj) and demonstration of different Beats. You may consult
Taalmala.
6. Tarana based on different Ragas.
Please scroll below to see the
definitions and links related to kathak.
7. Songs written by Ravindra
Nath Tagore and
Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengali)
8. Folk Dances from different states of India e.g. Bhangra, Dandia, Garba,
Machua, Chhau etc. and also gypsy dance. They have a unique style but they can
be blended with kathak.
9. Dance Dramas (mainly Hindi)
example, topics chosen from the epic Mahabharata which was composed by Vyas Deva and
describes the story of Vedic era. The other great composition is the epic called
Ramayana written by Valmiki. It describes the story of
Rama (a
representative of God Vishnu), the king of Ayodhya. Rama's wife Sita was
abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Sri Lanka. Rama fought a war against
Ravana and defeated him. Ramayana presents the ideology of king Rama and his
love for his country ; Shakuntala, Krishnaleela etc.
10. Any musical (classical) composition
e.g. Sitar, Sarod, Violin, Sarengi, Israj, Dilruba (String instruments),
Sehnai, Flute (Wind instruments) and Tabla, Pakhawaj, Naal, Dholak
(Percussion instruments) based on an ancient (as #9) or modern
theme (preferably on India).
11. Kathak (specially footwork) can be
blended with Tap dancing
Basic Footwork: Right and Left feet are stamped as follows using Keharwa (An eight count beat). Please see Taalmala for details. Click here to see Kathak bells.
1 2 3 4
Ta Thei
Thei Ta (Bol / Phrase)
Right Left
Right Left
5 6 7 8
Aa Thei
Thei Ta
Left Right Left Right
Types of Circles: Static, Dynamic, Sitting circles.
Navras:
Nine Sentiments (expression / acting)
1. Shant - Quiet
2. Veer -
Hero
3. Krodh - Anger
4. Adbhut - Surprise
5. Vibhastsya -
Disgust
6. Karun - Pathos
7. Hasya - Comedy
8. Bhaye - Fear
9.
Shringar - Beauty
Hand Gestures:
Asanjukta Hasta Mudra
(Single Handed Gestures)
Sanjukta Hasta Mudra (Combined Handed
Gestures)
Gat Nikas:
A composition describing the movement of a bird (e.g. peacock, swan), animal (e.g. elephant, lion), a human charactor or Hindu Gods and Goddesses and is usually performed with the beats of a percussion instrument accompanied by string instruments e.g. Sarengi, Sitar, Swarmandal etc. Gat Nikas, commonly called Gat Vab, is named as follows.Parvati Gat - movement of Hindu Goddess Parvati (Goddess of
strength)
Stri Gat - movement of a lady
Mayur Gat - movement of a
peacock
Gajagamini Gat - movement of an elephant
Selami - At the beginning of kathak dance, the way of salutation to the audience according to the Muslim culture is called Selami.
Tukda - The Bol / Phrase having one or more Avartan (one cycle depending on beats). Please see Taalmala .
Paran - Bols / Phrases receited with the rhythm of Pakhawaj (a percussion instrument). It can be of many kinds, e.g. Bol Paran, Jati Paran, Ghungru (bells) Paran, Pakshi (bird) Paran. Also Ganesh Paran, Kali Paran, Lakhsmi Paran (by the name of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses) etc.
Tarana - It is usually sung after Chota Kheyal (consult Ragmala). It is composed of meaningless words or phrases e.g. 'Tana Dere Na Dim', 'Na Der Dani Ni', 'Tom Tana Na', 'Udanita Nana Der Der' etc. Tarana composition is the hardest one in kathak. It needs a clear conception in everything e.g. footwork, beat theory, circles, tukda, paran etc. It is usually accompanied with Tabla and can be performed in any Raga. It is fast and rhythmic, hence easily enchants the audience.
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