HISTORY
KATHAK-HISTORY
Indian dance is a form of worship and spiritual fervor. Kathak is a North Indian Classical dance form. Born in the temples it later flourished in princely courts. In ancient India temples had Natya Mandaps and the group of dancers and their teachers were a class of highly studied Brahmin Pundits, excellent narrators, who passed on knowledge by word of mouth. They were called KATHAKARS, story tellers, (katha-story and Karas - one who tells) "Kathan kare so kathak kahaye" and Kathak derived its name from them.
Tradition has it that Lord Brahma created a dance form by distilling the essence of the 4 Vedas, the text from the Rig Veda, Music from the Sama Veda, Actions from the Yajur Veda, and the aesthetic appeal from the Atharva Veda, and called it the Natya Veda, which was passed on to mortals through Sage Bharta Muni who compiled it into the famous Natya Shastra, an exquisite treatise of systematic principals of classical dance.
Kathak evolved gradually, within the framework of a systematic classical art form governed by the principles of the Natya Shastra, which was well established by the 2nd century BC. It’s accurate technique and superb style is a culmination of a well established tradition of practicing Dance.
By the 10th century BC dance had developed distinct regional styles. Kathak a dance in the Sama Pose, standing erect with linier movements, gave much importance to sheer technique. The rise of the Moghuls shifted the emphasis of dance as a form of worship and it became a form of entertainment too. The dress is typically Persian.
The Bhakti cult that swept the country in the 14/15th century influenced the repertoire of the dance, the Hindu myth and legend communicated itself in the beautiful rendering of popular stories enacted through dance gestures. Today Kathak is a very versatile dance form lending itself to a many different presentations, traditional and contemporary. It is based on the North Indian classical style of music.
There are three styles/schools of Kathak prevalent today, Jaipur Gharana, Lucknow Gharana and the Banaras Gharana.
Indian dance is a form of worship and spiritual fervor. Kathak is a North Indian Classical dance form. Born in the temples it later flourished in princely courts. In ancient India temples had Natya Mandaps and the group of dancers and their teachers were a class of highly studied Brahmin Pundits, excellent narrators, who passed on knowledge by word of mouth. They were called KATHAKARS, story tellers, (katha-story and Karas - one who tells) "Kathan kare so kathak kahaye" and Kathak derived its name from them.
Tradition has it that Lord Brahma created a dance form by distilling the essence of the 4 Vedas, the text from the Rig Veda, Music from the Sama Veda, Actions from the Yajur Veda, and the aesthetic appeal from the Atharva Veda, and called it the Natya Veda, which was passed on to mortals through Sage Bharta Muni who compiled it into the famous Natya Shastra, an exquisite treatise of systematic principals of classical dance.
Kathak evolved gradually, within the framework of a systematic classical art form governed by the principles of the Natya Shastra, which was well established by the 2nd century BC. It’s accurate technique and superb style is a culmination of a well established tradition of practicing Dance.
By the 10th century BC dance had developed distinct regional styles. Kathak a dance in the Sama Pose, standing erect with linier movements, gave much importance to sheer technique. The rise of the Moghuls shifted the emphasis of dance as a form of worship and it became a form of entertainment too. The dress is typically Persian.
The Bhakti cult that swept the country in the 14/15th century influenced the repertoire of the dance, the Hindu myth and legend communicated itself in the beautiful rendering of popular stories enacted through dance gestures. Today Kathak is a very versatile dance form lending itself to a many different presentations, traditional and contemporary. It is based on the North Indian classical style of music.
There are three styles/schools of Kathak prevalent today, Jaipur Gharana, Lucknow Gharana and the Banaras Gharana.
© 2012 Nandita Puri
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