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Saturday 1 October 2011

Kathak - Repertoire

Like any other dance form Kathak also deals withnritta and abhinaya. The nritta portions begin with a sequence known as the amadaaa. The amadaa is set to a sixteen beat metric cycle ta thei thei tat, aa thei , thei ,tat. The dancer uses the amadaa as the entry to the stage and as an invocation to Lord Ganesha. The amadaa ends with a few spinning movements and the dancer reverts to a static position. What follows is the thata which displays the various possible movements of the body. Sometimes this is done before the amadaa. After the initial sequences are completed the dancer presents pure dance sequences known as tora, tukra and parana . These are named after the varying degrees of complexity of the beats of the accompanying instruments. The tora is presented first and it can be described as a formal pattern set to the sound patterns of the instrument known as the sitar. It is followed by the tukra which is often presented with spinning movements. The dancer first begins with a seemingly slow rhythmic pattern and then proceeds to build up a more complex structure based on the mathematical sequence of the beats. The structure can be built up from any beat but the last step should coincide with the last beat and hence requires a considerable amount of calculation by the dancer. The parana follows and is characterized by the stronger beats it is set to.

The above broadly talks about the main classifications of the Kathak nritta technique, however there are a number of sub divisions of the above mentioned three. The tohra, tukra and the parana all have various sub groups which are set to the beats of different percussion instruments. The nritta part of Kathak revolves around a repetitive melodic line known as the nagma . Both the accompanying musicians and the dancer weave through a vast number of rhythmic permutations. Another type of composition in Kathak is the nritya which can be described as a sort of mixture of nritta and abhinaya. The dancer performs parts of both techniques and then executes either of the two, depending on the musical sequences.
A unique feature of Kathak dance is that the dancers themselves recite the bols (the beats) unlike other dance forms like Bharatanatyam where the teacher does the reciting. In Kathak it is considered essential for the dancers to recite the bols in their presentation. The dancers in the process of this recitation are actually rehearsing their steps before actually executing them. The accompanying musicians will often repeat a bol recited by the dance which makes the dance patterns and the music patterns almost identical. This concept is known as the parhant . We shall conclude by explaining the section on nritta by explaining the tattakara . The tattakara is another method by which the dancers present their capabilities over rhythmic patterns. In this form, the dancer can insert intervals into the beat of a given metric cycle. For instance the dancers may execute a twelve beat pattern in a sixteen beat cycle by slowing down or execute a twenty four beat pattern by increasing their speed. The dancers are taught to be able to improvise on the basic sixteen beat pattern. Towards the end of the tattakara the dancer's capabilities in controlling weight distribution are put to their toughest test. The dancer should be able to while executing rhythmic patterns restrict the jingling of almost a hundred bells on the feet to just one or two. This is one of the toughest aspects of the dancer's training, for the dancer must achieve a certain body axis and be absolutely static from the torso upward. It is even more difficult since this is performed towards the end of the dance when the dancer's feet are tired.
We shall now deal with another very important part of Kathak, in fact of any Indian classical dance, that is the abhinaya or the acting part of dancing. Kathas abhinaya traditions have evolved over a long period and combined the different styles of several parts of the country. As is with all Indian classical dances, the dancers gestures are set to music. The Kathak concept of abhinaya can be divided into two broad categories, the bhava and the abhinaya proper. The bhava acts as a sort of introduction and is composed of short scenes which usually depict the life of Lord Krishna. In some instances the stories can be extended depending on the episode that is presented. The bhava is not set to a vocal song but to instrumental music The bhavas usually have a dominant mood to it and the dancer in the process of enacting different bhavas will naturally change the mood of the recital. The principles of transitory states comes out best in the abhinaya proper. In this form the dance is set to vocal music, a dancer must be aware of the intricate rhythmical concept of the song that is played. One of the richest parts of the abhinaya is the thumri. This is a musical composition that is the base for a Kathak dancer's abhinaya. The dancer is supposed to interpret words, or sentences or even the nuances of words and has tremendous freedom for improvisation. Improvisation and the imaginative capabilities of the dancer are tested ,for a good dancer will be able to bring out the various meanings of a single word. The footwork is not very important, the dancer conveys the message with arms movements and facial movements like the eyes, eyebrows etc. In Kathak like most other classical Indian dance forms, the dancer depicts the character from the viewpoint of a narrator.
distribution are put to their toughest test. The dancer should be able to while executing rhythmic patterns restrict the jingling of almost a hundred bells on the feet to just one or two. This is one of the toughest aspects of the dancer's training, for the dancer must achieve a certain body axis and be absolutely static from the torso upward. It is even more difficult since this is performed towards the end of the dance when the dancer's feet are tired.
We shall now deal with another very important part of Kathak, in fact of any Indian classical dance, that is the abhinaya or the acting part of dancing. Kathas abhinaya traditions have evolved over a long period and combined the different styles of several parts of the country. As is with all Indian classical dances, the dancers gestures are set to music. The Kathak concept of abhinaya can be divided into two broad categories, the bhava and the abhinaya proper. The bhava acts as a sort of introduction and is composed of short scenes which usually depict the life of Lord Krishna. In some instances the stories can be extended depending on the episode that is presented. The bhava is not set to a vocal song but to instrumental music The bhavas usually have a dominant mood to it and the dancer in the process of enacting different bhavas will naturally change the mood of the recital. The principles of transitory states comes out best in the abhinaya proper. In this form the dance is set to vocal music, a dancer must be aware of the intricate rhythmical concept of the song that is played. One of the richest parts of the abhinaya is the thumri. This is a musical composition that is the base for a Kathak dancer's abhinaya. The dancer is supposed to interpret words, or sentences or even the nuances of words and has tremendous freedom for improvisation. Improvisation and the imaginative capabilities of the dancer are tested ,for a good dancer will be able to bring out the various meanings of a single word. The footwork is not very important, the dancer conveys the message with arms movements and facial movements like the eyes, eyebrows etc. In Kathak like most other classical Indian dance forms, the dancer depicts the character from the viewpoint of a narrator.

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