Nritymi Kathak Academy

Late post for yesterday’s Mahashivratri. Invocation to Lord Shiva by our very own Dadaji, the late Guru Pandit Chitresh Das. Pranam Dadaji!

Various medieval treatises contain descriptions of folk dance traditions that resemble elements of today’s Kathak. But there is no mention of Kathak as a dance form or Kathaks/Kathakas as a community. The word Kathak only appears in some of the mid-nineteenth century accounts of the court of Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow. (Source: Margaret Edith Walker, Kathak Dance: A Critical History, University of Toronto, 2004) Still, this painting (Indian miniature, Mughal school, c. 1590/95) from the Akbarnma (official chronicle of Akbar’s reign 15561605), housed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, is widely described as depicting dancing girls performing a Kathak dance for Emperor Akbar. Kathak or not, note the costume, twirling skirts and upright stance. Definitely a forerunner of today’s Kathak!!

One of the finest portrayals of Kathak in Indian cinema. Nine minutes packed with rich and diverse Kathak repertoire including tirvat (song whose words are drum syllables), rhythmic compositions, kavitt (poem), gat bhav (storytelling through dance & mime) and footwork display. Exquisite performance by Roshan Kumari ji in Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece, Jalsaghar.

23rd Vasantotsava 2021 An 8-day festival of dance & music featuring a spectacular lineup of Kathak artists!

Paran is a rhythmic composition made up of the bols/sounds of the pakhawaj or tabla. Though originating in the pakhawaj/tabla tradition, parans are also choreographed for Kathak dance and are an important element of the repertoire of Kathak. There are many varieties of parans. In one variety, the rhythmic syllables are interwoven with poetry, often in praise of a god or goddess. Examples are Ganesh paran, Shiva paran, Durga paran, etc. Here is a famous Ganesh paran performed by late tabla maestro, Pt. Kishan Maharaj. The rendering of the lyrical words is outstanding. His tabla speaks, literally!

This is how we rollicked through the holidays into the new year!