KATHAK IS DIFFERENT FORM. IT IS ONE OF THE NINE MAJOR FORMS OF INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE.ITS ORIGIN IS TO ATTRIBUTED TO THE TRAVELLING BOARDS IN ANCIENT northern India known as Kathakar (storyteller) who communicates stories through dance, songs and music.
” katha se kaho so kathak kahave”. We narrate stories through hands, face , feet & body in sync with tabla & lehra.
In this form there is an extensive footwork , body movements and expressions. Kathak has a strong beat and can be danced in many taals.
It is involved during a BHAKTI MOVEMENT and the courts of northern Indian movement , during the period of Mughal rule.
These performances includes : thaat, aamad, footwork, tihai, shiv parvati stuti, paran aamad, different taals , laya and much more
Kathak has three different forms or gharanas :
LUCKNOW GHARANA
JAIPUR GHARANA
BANARAS GHARANA
THE LUCKNOW GHARANA STYLE : IT EMPHASIZES ACTING . THE LUCKNOW GHARANA OF KATHAK DANCE ATTRIBUTES ITS ORIGIN TO A RURAL KRISHNA DEVOTEE NAMED ISHWARI FROM THE VILLAGE SOUTHEAST U.P WHO AIMED TO DEVELOP DANCE FORM OF LOVING DEVOTION TO KRISHNA. THAT SCHOOL THRIEVED after the MUGHAL EMPIRE COLLAPSED when the artist moved from Delhi to Lucknow.
AWAD NAWAB who favored COURT DANCE CULTURE .
NOWADAYS, Kathak has developed themes beyond RADHA -KRISHNA.
THE JAIPUR GHARANA STYLE : It emphasis on dance and footwork. The Jaipur style developed under the sponsorship of RAJPUT RULERS as they favored the dance with HINDU RELIGION THEMES.
THE BANARAS GHARANA STYLE : ITS History is unclear. According to Kothari , the school started with JANAKIPRASAD. She was a dancer and a sanskrit scholar and credited with inventing the bols of kathak.
HOW KATHAK IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CLASSICAL FORMS ??
It is only a classical dance where you can see the extensive footwork and how a dancer moves her own feet in different forms , different types of chalan and thaat and not only with the footwork but also with the expressions how they move there body with bhav. Chakkar and this is the only form in classical dance where you can see clearly chakkar and that make this unique.
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- Especially Spins makes this dance form so unique. Spin refers to CHAKKAR in kathak. There are different types of spin.
- 5 FEET KA CHAKKAR
- 3 FEET KA CHAKKAR
- 1 FEET KA CHAKKAR
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