![define kathak music define kathak music](https://kathakensemble.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-06-06-style4_facebook_event_6June-Janaki-on-L.jpg)
Meanwhile, Hindu Rajput rulers of Rajasthan also brought temple music and dance into their courts, modifying simple Hindu storytelling styles to reflect court entertainment etiquette, and contributing to the secularization and decoration of Kathak dance. These influenced the performance practices of indigenous dancers and musicians, who sought patronage in Muslim courts. Beginning in the Eighth Century, growing numbers of Muslim traders, adventurers, soldiers and rulers from Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan brought their own music, dance and costume styles to India. Rooted in the Hindu ethos common to all styles of Indian dance, Kathak developed into its present, distinct classical form in the Moghul and Rajput courts. Bhakti - devotion - was the principal emotion that the kathakas tried to evoke in their audience. They transmitted knowledge of religious epics and mythology - such as the MAHABHARATA and the RAMAYANA - by a combination of music, dance, acting and narration. Long before Kathak was recognized as a classical dance form, these storytelling kathakas were integral players in the Indian oral tradition. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word kathaka, storyteller. While a percussive instrument such as the tabla may express the rhythmic cycle, dancers often engage in rhythmic play within a time cycle, creating a counterpoint to the underlying rhythm.KATHAK is the classical dance of Northern India. Rhythmic patterns in Kathak can be complex.
![define kathak music define kathak music](https://atimetwaly.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/115.jpg)
Most compositions also use bols, rhythmic words which can be recited either as a reminder for the dancers or as an integral part of the performance. They include a combination of short and long dance compositions – tukras and todas. PerformanceĬonventional Kathak performances often start slowly, progressing to an ever faster tempo and ending in a dramatic climax. Nowadays Kathak is officially recognised as one of the eight forms of classical Indian dance. Popular in India once more, contemporary Kathak is a synthesis of its varied past, combining everything from its spiritual roots to folkloric elements, mythological themes and courtly traditions. By the early twentieth century it was being carried forward by a new generation of dancers and dance gurus. Tawaifs were denigrated as immoral and the form regarded as existing purely for the purpose of seduction.ĭespite this period of cultural repression Kathak survived, kept alive by dedicated tawaifs.
![define kathak music define kathak music](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94uBMmwMHsY/Vdw3UqrIA5I/AAAAAAAAZk4/TJ9dy2K9TNU/s1600/indian-classical-dance.jpg)
![define kathak music define kathak music](https://cdn.yehaindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Thaat.jpg)
It was seen as base and unwholesome by the Victorians. Tawaifs occupied a position in the feudal courts not unlike that of Japanese Geishas and were trained from youth to a very high standard in both the performing arts and literature. Here, under the influence of Persian dance and music, Kathak’s spiritual emphasis gave way to secular elements such as popular dance and folk stories.ĭuring this period, it was often performed by tawaifs, or courtesans, who greatly refined the art. Muslim emperorsīy the sixteenth century Kathak had become a form of entertainment in the Mughal courts. Kathak is a form of classical Indian dance that can be traced back to the Hindu storytellers – kathakars – of medieval northern India. Passed from generation to generation, stories celebrating the lives of religious deities were sung or recited, often with a dance element included.