Kathak

History(state: UP)

Kathak means story telling
Initially male brahmins and bhakthi saints of VAISHNAVITE cult used to tell stories of different incarnations of Vishnu going from home to home
they also used to dance while reciting the story.
but Kathak got impetus with advent of Islamic rulers
Nawab Vajid Shah of Lucknow started to patronise this dance form and later it became part of Mughal Court also.

Features

full foot contact is of prime importance in Kathak. It helps dancers to create numerous sounds(=> no other classical dance have full foot contact)
the Kathak dancer is considered as no less than a PERCUSSIONIST. because they create numerous sounds by thumbing her feet on the floor.
one of the very important feature of Kathak is Jugalbandi. In this a competitive play happens b/w Tabla Player and dancer.
costume is ANARKALI SUIT it helps to create pirrouttes (Bhrammari) when the dancer takes jump in the air. The formation Pirrouttes provide elegence to the dance
Ghoongroo is also intrinsic musical elements that dancers use to wear.
in Kathak dancers use to interact with the audiences while performance is going on.
Kathak is performed on most of the Hindustani style of Music except Thappa.

Instruments

Famous Proponents

P.R. Sayooj IAS