famous kathak dancers

In India Their is lots of kathak dancers . Out of this, we will see information about 5 famous Kathak dancers.The kathak Dances in India are one of the oldest forms of art in the country. Once considered a form of worship in ancient temples, today they are popular worldwide. Out of the eight classical dances recognized by the Sangeet Natak Academy; Kathak, which originated from North India, is widely practiced and watched all across the world and has garnered huge praise for India and its culture. Here are five world famous Female Kathak Dancers in India you should know about.

 

  Kathak Dance Jewellery 

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.

A dance of nomad people known as Kathaks, who roam in villages and entertain villagers, Kathak is a popular North Indian dance form. These Kathaks wearing Kathak dance dress used myths and scripts as a dance that was accompanied by music, vocals and gestures bringing to life the dance show.

Apart from this, Kathak dances were also performed in the courts of the Muslim Rajas that used to depict the Raasalila between Lord Krishna and Radha. The beauty of Kathak lay in its beautiful costume that provided the spontaneity, and a refreshing freedom from uniformity with improvisation and innovations. Known for its swift rhythmic movements, the kathak dance in stunning costume is performed with incredible speed to culminate in a gracious posture.

Kathak dance requirements like any other traditional Indian dance is a combination of stunning costume, jewellery and make-up. The Kathak costumes were initially ghaghra (long skirt), Choli (Blouse) and a veil. Gradually, it gave way to churidhar, pyjamas and angrakha and finally a sari for women. For the men, the Odissi dance costume is the Dhoti.

A traditional Kathak Dance Requirements & Kathak costume, Saree is worn up in a tied-up style to allow greater freedom of movement during the dance. Apart from sarees with attractive blouses, woman Kathak dancers also on occasions wear lehenga-choli with an optional odhni or veil. Some dancers adopt the Mughal costume, which consists of an angarkha, tightly fitting above the waist and the skirt portion explicitly cut on the round, supplemented by the churidar on the legs. For the men kathak dancers it could be either a dhoti with a pleated or frilled cloth hanging from the waist to the knees OR the Mughal period 

Kathak dance costume

 of kurta churidars with caps. The kathak dance Dresses for male and female dancers are usually in bright shades of orange, red or green.

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.

 

 kathak terminology  

Following are the kathak terminology : Aamad:- Aamad is a persian word, which means an “entrance”. This piece is danced in the beginning of the performance and is composed of the characteristic patterns of Natwari bols, which are the basic syllables of Kathak dance.

Aavartan: A cycle of any taal is called an Aavartan or an Aavriti.

Chaugun: Fourth speed. Four beats into one beat or four time the speed of the basic time cycle. For example: 1 2 3 4  5 6 7 8.

Doon: Double speed. Two beats into one beat or double time the speed of the basic time cycle. For example: 1 2 3 4.

Hastak: The hand movements in Kathak are called Hastak.

Kathak Nritya: Kathak is one of the leading forms of Indian classical dance Kathak is a North Indian classical dance form. This ancient art of India derived its name “Kathak” from “Katha”, the art of story telling. (For more on Kathak, please read History of Kathak ).

Khali: Khali is also called "Phank". The word khali means empty. Khali is the rest point of a Tal. The Tabla player stops playing left Tabla on the syllables of Khali. Khali is denoted by the sign "0".

Laya : Rhythm or tempo. Laya is a continuous movement in space of time. Music and dance without Laya is like a body without bones.

There are mainly three kinds of Layas.

• Laya Vilambit : The slow tempo

• Laya Madhyam: The moderate or medium tempo

• Laya Drut : The fast tempo.

 Padhant: Padhant means recitation. Normally dancers recite the tabla bol followed by the toda bol before dancing. This helps the musicians set the laya.

Theka : The syllables of any Tal played on Tabla is called a Theka of that particular Tal. Theka is a ground for all rhythmic variations and has a character of it’s own. It has a significant structural unity

Toras: Toras are group of the basic Kathak syllables that usually start on sum(the first beat) and after two or more cycles end on Sum. Toras have several varieties of rhythmic patterns.

Matra: Beats. A taal is divided into Vibhags or parts.  Each Vibhag has a set of beats which are called 'Matras'.  Matras are division in a time cycle. For example; the constant interval between the seconds is Laya, the time which measures sixty minutes is Tal, and the seconds are the beats or matras.

Nritya: Dance.

Salami: The word “salami” literally means salutation. While performing salami, the dancer honors the audience by saluting it in a special manner. Salami is performed in the beginning of the performance.

Sum: It is the first beat of any tal.  Kathak Dancers returning on the "Sum" after completing a time cycle. Sum is accented more than any other beats. Sum is denoted by the sign ‘X’.

Taali: Taali is also called Bhari. Taali means clapping. Besides "Sum", each taal has beats where you clap.  Example, in Teen Taal, you clap on the 1, 5 and 13th matras.

Tal: Tal is a very important concept in Classical Indian dance and music. Tal is a group of certain beats. Tal is a measurement of time which calculates the number of beats utilized in certain time period. It is said that Bharat Muni discovered the 32 kinds of Tal in a song of a lark.

Tatkar: The dance syllables that are produced from stomping are called Tatkar. The word “Tatkar” is about 700 years old. In Kathak dance the main syllables of Tatkar are: Ta thai thai tat, aa thai thai tat. Kathak dancers usually perform many variations of this basic Tatkar.

Thaat: Thaat in general means decoration or a gracefiul attitude. Thaat is a stylized pose, which brings in a line waist, hips, thighs, neck, aims, chest, and feet. The dancer moves limbs of his or her body gracefully in a slow tempo.

Thah : Slow speed. One beat for every beat. For example: 1 2.

Tihai: Concluding movements or a dance phrase repeated three times.

Vibhag: The divisions of a Taal are called Vibhag.  The sign for Vibhag is a small straight vertical line.

 

kathak

kathak कथक किंवा कथ्थक ही एक भारतीय नृत्यशैली आहे. ती भारतातील आठ शास्त्रीय नृत्य प्रकारांपैकी एक आहे. (इतर प्रकार - ओडिसी, कथकली, कुचिपुडी, भरतनाट्यम्, मणिपुरी, मोहिनीअट्ट्म आणि सत्त्रिया).

कथ्थक हा उत्तर भारतातील प्रमुख नृत्यप्रकार असून भावप्रधान आणि चमत्कारप्रधान तत्त्वाचा समावेश हे या शैलीचे वैशिष्ट्य आहे. शास्रीयदृष्ट्या या शैलीत गत, तोडे, नायक नायिका भेद, तत्कार, घुंगुरांचा आवाज, तालवादकासह नर्तकाची जुगलबंदी अशा प्रकारांचा समावेश होतो. या गोष्टीमुळे लोकरंजनही होते.

कथक शब्दाचे अर्थ :-

कथक ह्या शब्दाचा व्युत्पत्ती 'कथा कहे सो कथक' अशी सांगितली जाते. म्हणजेच हावभाव आणि हाताच्या व पायाच्या हालचाली वापरून कथा सांगणाऱ्या व्यक्तींपासून कथक हा शब्द आला असे म्हणले जाते. याचाच दुसरा अर्थ कथा सांगणारी शैली म्हणजे कथक असा होतो.

ब्रह्म पुराणामध्ये अभिनेता, गायक, नर्तक यांना 'कथक' असे संबोधले आहे. पाली भाषेमध्ये 'कथको' याचा अर्थ उपदेशक असा आहे. नेपाळी भाषेत 'कथिको' असा शब्द व्याख्याता या अर्थी दिसून येतो. संगीत रत्नाकर या ग्रंथाच्या नृत्याध्यायामधे 'कथक' हा शब्द आला आहे.

 

 Samyutha Hasta

hasta mudras Have 2 Types :- 

1)samyukt ( double handed )

2) asamyukt (single handed)

Samyutha Hastas are also called as Double hand gestures or Combined hand gestures. Unlike Asamyutha hastas, these gestures require use of both the palms to convey the message or a particular meaning.

Mudra	Meaning	How to
Anjali	Salutation to pray greet	When both the palms in Pataka are joined together we get the Anjali Mudra. In fact in the Indian culture this Mudra is very often used for greeting people.
Kapotham	dove	When the Anjali Mudra is slightly bulging at the knuckles of the palm we get the Kapota Hasta. In this gesture the palms touch each other only at the Tips and the base of the palm.
karkatam	Twist stretch	Here the fingers of both the hands are interlocked with each other.
Swastikam	crossed	We get the swastika pose when both the palms in pataka are crossed at the wrists.
Dola	Walking gait	When the pataka hasta is placed to the sides of the thigh we get the Dola hasta.
Pushpaputam	Offer flowers	When both the Palms are joined together at the little finger and slightly hollow at the centre of the Palms. The inner palm facing up.
Utsangam	shoulders	When the right and left palms touches the left and right shoulder respectively in Mrigashirsha mudra we get the Utsanga hasta.
Shivalingam	Shiva Linga	Hold Ardhacandra in the left hand palm facing up. Hold shikhara in the right hand and place it on the left hand.
katakaavardanam	coronation	When both the hands are crossed in Katakamukha Mudra we get Katakavardhana hasta.
Karthariswastikam	Denotes palace hills trees	When both the hands are crossed in Kartarimukha Mudra we get the Kartariswastika Hasta.
shakatam	demon	When the Bhramara hasta is held in both hands near sides of cheek we get the Shakata Hasta.
Shanka	Conch	Hold the thumb of your left hand with the forefingers of right hand in Shikhara hasta. Touch the right thumb to the left palms middle finger.
Chakram	Chakra/wheel/disc	When the Palms in Ardhachandra mudra touch each other vertically and horizontally we get the Chakra Mudra. The right palm is vertically held and the left palm is horizontally placed over the it.
Samputam	Denotes a box	When the fingers in Chakra hasta are bent in such a way that there is a hollow at the center of the palm we get the Samputa Hasta.
Paasha	Paasha – quarrel/fight	Paasha – When the both the hands in Tamrachuda are interlocked with one another we get the Pasha hasta.
Kilakam	Kilakam – Love/friendship	Kilakam – When both the little fingers interlock each other we get the Kilaka Hasta.
Matsya	Fish	When the right palm is placed over the back of left palm both palm being in Ardhachandra hasta.
Kurma	Tortoise	While the hands are in chakra hasta bend all the fingers (except the thumb and the little fingers) and hold the palms tight.
Varaha	Boar	When both hands in Mrigashirsha hasta and the left palm is placed over the right palm we get the Varaha hasta.
Garuda	Vishnu’s vehicle/eagle	When both the hands in Ardhachandra hasta are placed over one another and only the Thumbs are interlocked we get the Garuda hasta.
Naagabandaka	Snakes twisting and coiling	When both hands held in sarpashirsha hasta is crossed at the wrists we get the Nagabandha hand gesture.
Katva	bed	When the ring finger and the middle finger of both hands are placed one over the other and the Index finger and the little fingers point downwards we get the Khatava hasta.
Berunda	Pair of birds	When hands in Kapitta hasta is held crossed at the wrists we get the Bhairunda hasta.
Avahitha	Two lotuses	When both hands held in Alapadma hasta are crossed at the wrists and placed near the chest we get the Avahitta hand gesture.

 kathak mudras

kathak mudras Have various type. Hand mudras (hasta mudra) are the most important part of dancing in kathak. kathak mudras  makes the story easy to understand. Today we are going to learn about various dance mudras in kathak and its meaning.

hasta mudras Have 2 Types :- 

1)samyukt ( double handed )

2) asamyukt (single handed)

Asamyutha Hastas: The One- Handed Gestures

Hasta	Meaning	How to
Pathakam	Flag/creeper	Pathakam is done with all fingers held straight like the Stop sign. There should be no gap between the fingers.
Tripathakam	3 parts of a flag/	In this Mudra all the fingers are held straight and close together like the stop sign except for the ring finger which is bent.
Ardhapathakam	2 parts of a flag/	It is done by bending the little finger after doing the Tripataka.
Kartarimukham	Scissors/ Tongs	Mudra is done when the little finger and the ring finger is bent and pressed against the thumb. While the index finger and the Middle finger is stretched to show a scissor.
Mayuram	Peacock	The ring finger and the tip of the thumb touch each other while the other fingers are held straight without any gap.
Ardhachandran	Half Moon	All the finger are held straight and together except the thumb finger which is held apart. It is just like the Pataka gesture but the thumb finger is held straight and not bent like in Pataka.
Aralam	Petal/ bent	It is done when the Index finger is bent while doing the Pataka Mudra. Here the index finger is bent along with the thumb while the other fingers are held straight.
Shukathundam	Parrot’s beak	When the Ring finger of the Arala mudra is bent we get Shukatunda Hasta.
Mushti	Fist	When the four fingers are pressed closely against the palm while the thumb is held tightly between the palm and the other four fingers.The thumb can also be placed on the four fingers
Shikaram	The pinnacle/ top	Here all the fingers are bent and pressed against the Palm except the thumb. The thumb is raised and held erect. (like the thumbs-up Sign)
Kapitam	Wood apple	While doing Shikhara mudra bending the pointer finger and pressing it over the thumb is the Kapitta mudra.
Katakamukham	bracelet/link	Katakamukha means “Opening in a Bracelet”. Its done by bringing together the index finger middle finger and thumb. The ring finger and the little finger are raised at angles as shown.
soochi	needle	The Middle finger Ring finger and Little finger is pressed against the thumb while the forefinger is held straight.
Chandrakala	Full moon	Chandrakala means Digit of the Moon. Release the thumb in Suchi Mudra and hold it straight
Padmakosam	Lotus Bud	All the fingers are stretched and slightly brought closer to form Padmakosha.
Sarpasirsham	Hood of Cobra	When the Hand is held in Pataka Mudra and the fingers are bend from the tip to form a hollowed palm we get Sarpashirsha Mudra.
Mrigaseerisham	Deer’s head	Fingers are bent from the knuckles except for the little finger and the thumb which is held straight
Simhamukham	Lion’s face	When the middle finger and the ring finger press against the thumb while the other fingers are held straight we get the Simhamukha Hasta.
Kangulam	small bell	The ring finger in bent while the other fingers are stretched out.
Alapadmam	Fully Bloomed Lotus	Here the fingers are held in such a manner as if to ask “why”. The little finger points up and thereafter the other fingers follow.
Chaturam	4 sides square	When the thumb in Mrigashirsa mudra is held at the base of the Index middle and ring finger we get the Chatura Hasta.
Bramharam	Bee	When the Index finger in the Katakamukha mudra is curled and placed in between the middle finger and the thumb we get the Bhramara mudra.
Hamsasyam	Swan’s bill	the Thumb and the Index finger touch each other at the tips while the other fingers are straight separated   and stretched.
Hamsapakshakam	The swan	Similar to mrigasirsha but thumb is also bent.
Sandamsham	Tongs/twinkle	Sandamsha involves closing and opening of fingers.
Mukulam	bud	When all the five finger are brought together and touch each other at the tip.
Tamarachooda	rooster	When the Index finger of the Suchi Mudra is bent we get the Tamrachuda hasta.
Trishoolam	Trident	When the Thumb and the little finger are bent or meet each other while the Index Middle and the ring finger are held straight. This Gesture looks like the weapon Trishula.

Pathaakas tripatako ardhapatakaha kartarimukhaha
Mayuraasyo ardhachandrashcha araala shukatundakaha
Mushtishcha shikaraakhyashcha kapittha katakamukhaha
Suchi chandrakala padmakosha sarpashirastatha
Mrigashirsha simhamukhaha kangulo alapadmakaha
Chaturo bramarashchaiva hamsaasyo hamsapakshakaha
Samdamsho mukulashchaiva tamrachuda trishulakaha
Ityasamyutahasta hastaanaam ashtavinshatiririta