|
Kathak is the classical dance of North India.
The elegant swirling movements, lightning quick pirouettes,
sudden poses, the rapid stamping of feet, and the
subtle gestures of this traditional dance expresses
the fullest possible range of emotions.
The word kathak derives from katha, a story. A kathak
is therefore one who tells a story. Right from ancient
times, storytellers specialized in conveying through
dance and music tales from the great Indian epics
and scenes from the lives of the gods.
Birju Maharaj is a direct descendant of a
line of dancers who have been intimately linked with
the city and culture of Lucknow for two centuries;
it was here that this unique style of kathak was born,
where it evolved, and where it grew to become the
best known and most pervasive of the various regional
styles of this genre.
Different gharanas (i.e. schools) of dance
not only demonstrate general technical differences,
but significant stylistic preferences. For instance,
the rival Jaipur style is said to emphasize the abstract
rhythmic element of dance far more than its expressive
content, and to such ends places footwork prominently
at the beginning of the performance. Nevertheless,
so powerful has the influence of Lucknow been, and
in particular the artistic dominance of Birju Maharaj
and his family, that nowadays there is a great deal
more homo geneity
in Indian kathak dance styles than in former days.
As with any living tradition, kathak has
always continued to evolve. Soloists still dominate
in the genre, as always, but increasingly common are
elaborately choreographed productions involving kathak
dance troupes.
To conclude, the kathak dancer is a story-teller,
not a mime. He describes the strut of a peacock, but
he neither mimics nor becomes the peacock. He reproduces
the essence of the movement of a character or animal,
yet he neither mimics nor becomes that character or
animal. He takes from each being or situation that
which characterizes or symbolizes it, and puts that
into dance.
|
2:16:21 PM 
