Kathak Dance Research Articles

Crafting fidelity: pedagogical creativity in kathak dance

Through a phenomenological account of apprenticeship in the North Indian dance form of kathak, I show how skills are adapted and changed through the ingenuity and innovation required in teaching to new generations of students. The traditional pedagogical model for learning in the Indian arts, the guru‐shishya parampara (master‐disciple relationship), has historically been based on imitative and repetitive pedagogies. Yet close examination reveals less conspicuous forms of creativity at work in the process of reproducing the tradition with fidelity; this improvisational work is further heightened in the demands of teaching in the diaspora. As teachers create opportunities for experiential learning, a spectrum of pedagogical tactics, scaffolding strategies, and coaching competencies are developed and accumulate as this tradition is passed on from one generation to the next. The pedagogical work in crafting fidelity can, in fact, produce its own kind of knowledge, which, ironically, can add new elements to the tradition in unexpected ways. In one unique case – the example of ‘kathak yoga’ – the pedagogical adaptations of kathak artist Pandit Chitresh Das elicited a creative response, a new scaffolding technique that would eventually be incorporated into the repertoire as a skill in itself. Pedagogical process, in this sense, was creative process.

GRADUAL CHANGE IN LIGHTS, STAGE MANAGEMENT AND COSTUMES IN KATHAK DANCE

Kathak dance is a prominent classical dance of northern India. Indian dances have seen enormous changes in the past few years, but the fact that remains is not only has there been a change in the movements and “abhinay prakar” or expressions but also light and stage management and the costumes.Kathak performing artists or the “kathakkas” as they were called were actually story tellers and were earlier the messengers of the king. Gradually this art of storytelling changed its track to become India’s most performed classical dance.In 10th century this dance became a way of tribute to the almighty and was popularly performed by the devdasis in various temples. Though they were not openly performed for the devotees at first but only for the idols of the deity. Since the dance was performed in privacy, there was no need of stage and light. It was assumed that the dance was performed to depict ones bhakti or devotion towards the god and for the god’s entertainment hence costume and jewellery were given special weightage. Blunt colours like red or green in fully covered lehenga; choli and dupatta were selected with loads of gold jewellery of all kinds.

Defying Britain's Tick-Box Culture: Kathak in Dialogue with Hip-Hop

With questions of identity and multiculturalism remaining at the centre of debates in the press, political and academia arenas, a dance production tackles these issues head on in a surprisingly humorous and accessible way. Birmingham-based Sonia Sabri Company's Kathakbox is a collaborative production exploring the theme of ‘ticking boxes’ which sets out to challenge preconceptions about identity. Four specialists in kathak, hip-hop, African Caribbean and contemporary dance are joined by three musician-vocalists who eschew instruments, utilising their voices and bodies to create a vibrant rhythmic score influenced by a cosmopolitan mix of styles. Aesthetic and ideological meeting points occur onstage in the critically praised hour-long show, while counter-hegemonic possibilities emerge in associated workshops. The article explores how the narrative potential of kathak opens the way for Muslim women participants to delve into movement possibilities and improvisational potential of both the South Asian dance form and hip-hop.

Bells of Change: Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity in India by Pallabi Chakravorty, Kathaka: The Tradition: Fusion and Diffusion by Ranjana Srivastava Bells of Change: Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity in India Chakravorty Pallabi Seagull Books , Calcutta Kathaka: The Tradition: Fusion and Diffusion Srivastava Ranjana D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd. , New Delhi

Bells of Change: Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity in India by Pallabi Chakravorty, Kathaka: The Tradition: Fusion and Diffusion by Ranjana Srivastava Bells of Change: Kathak Dance, Women and Modernity in India Chakravorty Pallabi Seagull Books , Calcutta Kathaka: The Tradition: Fusion and Diffusion Srivastava Ranjana D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd. , New Delhi

Teaching Kathak in France: The Interdisciplinary “Milieu”

This article approaches the idea of interdisciplinarity as an aspect of the globalization of pedagogical practices through the teaching of kathak dance in France. Our study positions itself in a didactic research program that tackles the question of interdisciplinarity under the theoretical angle of joint action between teacher and students (Ranganathan 2004; Ranganathan and Petrefalvi 2007; Sensevy and Mercier 2007; Loquet, Roncin, and Roesslé 2007; Loquet 2007). In this program, “didactics” is defined as the science whose object of study covers educational, teaching, and training practices. Our contribution to this program concerns the field of knowledge related to the body, in particular in sports and artistic activities (Loquet 2006). The ambition of research in didactics currently taking place in France is to show that the teacher's action cannot be treated in a unilateral way, independent of the student's action, just as the interactions between teacher and student cannot be set apart from the objects of knowledge that unite them. In this model, we grant a central place to the concept of “milieu,” seen in a general way as the space where the teacher and the students interact.

Goa, India 2005

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA, GOA 2005 At the inaugural function of International Film Festival of India 2005, on 24 November, there were some more high points and some lessons to be learnt. On the dark side were the disappointing audio-visual, the technical problems with digital sound, wrong cues and the length of the show itself. Sound played havoc for nearly half an hour, crackling and going silent in turns. Choice of the items and costumes ranged from the kathak dance, Mughal period style, to Bollywood item numbers of the 21st century, to a rap-kathak fusion! On the bright side, octogenarian actor-director-producer Dev Anand, known for his now jaded romantic on-screen escapades with actresses one-fourth his age, gave a compact speech, without the stylised diction he is known for. It was not easy getting a seat at the screenings held at the INOX multiplex cinemas, especially built at the...

Dancing into Modernity: Multiple Narratives of India's Kathak Dance

Modernity, once a prerogative of the West, is now ubiquitous, experienced diversely by people all over the world. The changing notions of modernity are historically linked to the development of the public sphere. This article broadly attempts to map the discourse of modernity to the evolution of Kathak, a premier classical dance from India. The article has two threads running through it. One is the development of the public sphere in India as it relates to anti-colonial nationalism, the formation of the modern nation-state, and globalization. The other focuses on transformations in Kathak as they relate to changing patronage, ideology, and postcolonial history. I emphasize the latter to mark the transitions in Kathak as emblematic of Indian national identity and national ideology to a new era of cultural contestation. This emergent public domain of culture is coined as “public modernity” by anthropologist Arjun Appadurai in contemporary India. It is linked to economic reforms, or “liberalization,” leading to globalization and a resurgence of communal politics. Both of these make culture, tradition, and identity central to the contestation of power among the diverse social formations in India.

Pandits in the Movies: Contesting the Identity of Hindustani Classical Music and Musicians in the Hindi Popular Cinema

Toward end of V. Shantaram's 1955 classic and phenomenally popular Hindi film, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje, film's hero, Ghirdar, competes for artistic supremacy in kathak dance against another dancer, Ram Prasad. The competition (muqabala) proceeds in a series of virtuosic and overtly confrontational displays of dance prowess. The competing dancers employ all manner of rhythmic intricacy, speed, technique, dramatic gesture, loudness, and sheer self-assertiveness. Ghirdar's final triumph is ensured when he and his opponent engage in a series of simultaneous rhythmic turns, or chakkars, which are a standard feature of kathak performance practice. While Ghirdar maintains an elegant balance and poise during this performance, Ram Prasad becomes increasingly dizzy and disoriented, finally reeling from stage in defeat. Viewing this and other dance scenes in this film, it is easy to agree with Fredric Jameson (1992:10), who suggests that in a capitalist system, the quality of various forms of human activity ... has effectively been bracketed or suspended by market system, leaving all these activities to be ruthlessly reorganized in efficiency terms, as sheer means or instrumentality. Although Gopi Krishna, star of Ihanak Jhanak Payal Baje, was a highly respected classical kathak dancer of exceptional artistry, his prowess as a dancer throughout film is expressed in terms of quantitative extremes: his rhythmic compositions are longer and more complex, he dances faster, he leaps higher, he completes more turns, and so on. Thus comprised, and in terms of film's narrative, Krishna's quantifiable virtuosity is instrument by which his character overcomes all obstacles, thus ensuring both his artistic and romantic

A North Indian Classical Dance Form: Lucknow Kathak

Readers are conducted through the 12 sections of a typical Kathak performance that starts with vandana (or slōkam)—a prayer in Sanskrit addressing a god or goddess—and ends with tatkar, which denotes a slapping foot section that consists of bell-and footwork alone. Here, drummer and dancer interact so that “the dancer becomes as though bodiless and made of pure sound.” Brilliant though the tatkar may be, however, the predominant theme of North Indian Kathak dancing (from a Sanskrit word kathaka, meaning “narrator”) lies in the fleeting appearances and longer stories of Radha (a Gopi, or milkmaid) and Krishna (an incarnation of the god Vishnu).We discover that Kathak today is a theater art, but it still draws its inspiration from the literature of Vaishnavism, from the (ancient stories of the gods) and the devotional love poetry of medieval India. The sacred and human loves of Krishna and his beloved disciple, Radha, are woven into all aspects of the Kathak dance, as is clearly pointed out during discussions of the music, costumes and finally the role of the Kathak dancer, who is a creative artist having unusual improvisational abilities. The eyes seem to remember the eternal beauty of Radha and Krishna, so that both dancer and audience may be transported to a plane where they all can taste the rāsa of Lucknow Kathak.

101 Memories of Midnight Miracles

Research Article| March 01 2003 101 memories of midnight miracles Purvi Shah Purvi Shah purvi shah, born in Ahmedabad, India, currently lives in New York City. She serves as the Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, an anti-violence organization. Her poems have appeared in Borderlands, Texas Poetry Review, Crab Orchard Review, Descant, Weber Studies, and Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America (a 1997 American Book Award winner). She serves as an editor for the Asian Pacific American Journal and is also learning Kathak dance. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Meridians (2003) 3 (2): 54–56. https://doi.org/10.1215/15366936-3.2.54 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Purvi Shah; 101 memories of midnight miracles. Meridians 1 March 2003; 3 (2): 54–56. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/15366936-3.2.54 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsMeridians Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2003 by Wesleyan University Press2003 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal Issue Section: Cultureworks You do not currently have access to this content.

Plain Song

Research Article| March 01 2003 Plain Song Purvi Shah Purvi Shah purvi shah, born in Ahmedabad, India, currently lives in New York City. She serves as the Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, an anti-violence organization. Her poems have appeared in Borderlands, Texas Poetry Review, Crab Orchard Review, Descant, Weber Studies, and Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America (a 1997 American Book Award winner). She serves as an editor for the Asian Pacific American Journal and is also learning Kathak dance. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Meridians (2003) 3 (2): 53. https://doi.org/10.1215/15366936-3.2.53 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Purvi Shah; Plain Song. Meridians 1 March 2003; 3 (2): 53. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/15366936-3.2.53 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsMeridians Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2003 by Wesleyan University Press2003 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Performing Arts Museums and Collections in India

In India, the performing arts are inseparable from the country’s ancient religious and cultural traditions. They are thus reflected in a large number of collections not necessarily created to focus on the performing arts as such, but rather to display the tangible evidence of a history unparalleled in variety and richness. Shovana Narayan is an award‐winning Kathak dance virtuoso who has captivated audiences at home and abroad. She has published extensive research in the field of dancing and is visiting lecturer at the Theatre Wissenschaft of the University of Vienna.

Sushil Kumar Saxena, Swinging Syllables: Aesthetics of Kathak Dance

Journal Article Swinging Syllables: Aesthetics of Kathak Dance by Sushil Kumar Saxena Get access Francis Sparshott Francis Sparshott 1Department of Philosophy, Victoria College, Toronto Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 51, Issue 1, Winter 1993, Pages 88–89, https://doi.org/10.2307/431982 Published: 01 December 1993

Swinging Syllables: Aesthetics of Kathak Dance

Swinging Syllables: Aesthetics of Kathak Dance

Circles-Cycles Kathak Dance, produced and directed by Robert S. Gottlieb. Berkeley, California: University of California Extension Media Center, 1989. VHS, 28 minutes, color. $400. ($500, 16 mm; rental—$50: 16mm, 1/2″VHS, 3/4″U-Matic).

Circles-Cycles Kathak Dance, produced and directed by Robert S. Gottlieb. Berkeley, California: University of California Extension Media Center, 1989. VHS, 28 minutes, color. $400. ($500, 16 mm; rental—$50: 16mm, 1/2″VHS, 3/4″U-Matic).

Expressive Characterics in the Kathak Dance

Expressive Characterics in the Kathak Dance

Aesthetical Essays: Studies in Aesthetics, Hindustani Music and Kathak Dance by S.K. Saxena. Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1981. 245 pp.

Aesthetical Essays: Studies in Aesthetics, Hindustani Music and Kathak Dance by S.K. Saxena. Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1981. 245 pp.

Aesthetical Essays: Studies in Aesthetics, Hindustani Music and Kathak Dance

Aesthetical Essays: Studies in Aesthetics, Hindustani Music and Kathak Dance

BOOK REVIEWS

Journal Article BOOK REVIEWS Get access Aesthetical Essays: Studies in Aesthetic Theory, Hindustani Music and Kathak Dance. By s. K. SAXENA. Chanakya Publications, Delhi. 1981. pp. 247. 80 Rupees. NICK MCADOO NICK MCADOO Goldsmiths' College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The British Journal of Aesthetics, Volume 23, Issue 2, spring 1983, Pages 169a–169, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjaesthetics/23.2.169a Published: 01 February 1983