Indian Classical - Kathak

Art, Music and Dance play an important role in all traditions and cultures. The expressions are different but the goal is usually to stimulate the connectedness, communion and spiritual experience of a group or an individual. Spiritual Art, Music and Dance communicates directly to the Soul and affect us on a subtle and often unconscious level. There is a saying that "one image is more than thousand words? and that is also the case for music and dance. It can be said that music is the pleasure of harmony and Dance is the pleasure of feeling alive.
One of the seven classial dance in India is Kathak. Kathaks unique history has made it very different from other traditional dance forms, although it still retains the same roots. Presently, this classical dance is characterized by a combination of the temple and court forms, inclusive of both the devotion and romantic form that has shaped it through the years.

Kathak derives from both the Natyashastra and the other classical forms of north India. The word kathak referred to the storyteller who could act, dance and play a musical instrument. He drew the audience into his world. The subject matter was and is the devotion and longing for Lord Krishna. The form developed and perfected through three centuries, the fifteenth to the eighteenth. 

Many sequences entail the complex, fast-paced execution of dance steps while the body itself remains virtually still. Ghunghroo anklets (with 100 little bells) accentuate the footwork and the pirouettes. These two features of Kathak are the outstanding aspects of the dance.

Kawitt:       Vrinda Van Ki
                         Kunj Galinn Me
                  Nachata Kanahiya
                         Tat Tat Thai Ya
                  Bajata Payeli Chun
                         Chana Nana Nana Na
                  Tah Ta Theyi  Tah Ta Theyi
                         Tah Ta Dha

Renowned exponents: Shambhu Maharaj, Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Sunder Prasad, and Gopi Krishan.