KATHAK 

Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancientnorthern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance and central Asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era.The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means he who tells a story, or to do with stories. 

 

COSTUME AND MAKE UP

A traditional Kathak Dance Requirements & Kathak costume, Saree is worn up in tied-up style to allow greater freedom of movement during dance. Apart from sarees with attractive blouses, woman kathak dancers also on occasions wear lehenga-choli with an optional odhni or veil. Kathak dance jewellery are mainly ornaments of gold and silver for head, arms, hands, fingers, waist ,feet, and the small ankle bells also called as ghungroos, that help in dancing many complex patterns which are a hallmark of Kathak.

 

Type of Song and Instruments :

Music to Kathak is normally provided by tabla and sitar players.All compositions are performed so that the final step and beat of the composition lands on the 'sam' (pronounced as the English word 'sum' and meaning even or equal, archaically meaning nil) or first beat of the time-cycle. Most compositions also have 'bols' (rhythmic words) which serve both as mnemonics to the composition and whose recitation also forms an integral part of the performance. This recitation is known as padhant. Some compositions are aurally very interesting when presented this way. The bols can be borrowed fromtabla (e.g. dha, ge, na, 'ti' 'na' 'ka' 'dhi na') or can be a dance variety (ta, thei, tat, ta ta, tigda, digdig, tram theyi and so on).

 

History:

The story of Kathak begins in ancient times with the performances of professional story-tellers called kathakas who recited or sang stories from epics and mythology with some elements of dance. The traditions of the kathakas were hereditary, and dances passed from generation to generation. There are literary references from the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE which refer to these kathakas.