DRESSING SENSE OF KATHAK

IN KATHAK MAINLY THREE TYPES OF DRESS CODE USED


FIRST CODE IS KURTI

A GHAREDAR KURTI , CHURIDAR PAYAJAMA AND A LONG DUPATTA

SECOND CODE IS GHAGRA CHOLI AND DUPATTA

GHAGRA MUST NOT BE TOO LONG......THERE IS CHANCE THEY DISTURB DANCING






THIRD CODE IS SARI OR DHOTI WITH A DUPATTA

SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITION

DHWANI: Sound. The sensations received by our ears are called sound.

NADA: The musical sound। Frequencies of Nada are regular. There are three qualities of Nada: Nada ki Tarta (pitch), Nada ki Tivrata (intensity), and Nada ka Kaal (duration).

NATYA: The theatrical or dramatic representation (Abhinaya) in dance is called "Natya". There are four kinds of Abhinaya.

• Angika Abhinaya: In Angika Abhinaya the meaning or an idea is conveyed through bodily gestures.
• Vachika Abhinaya: When the meaning is conveyed through words.
• Aharya Abhinaya: Through costumes and appearance of actors.
• Sattwika Abhinaya: This is the representation of eight psychic conditions arising from the vital principle itself। These eight conditions are: Motionlessness, perspiration, horrification, change in voice, change of color, trembling, tears, and fainting.

• NRITYA: The dance, which suggests flavour (Rasa) and mood (Bhava), is called Nritya. Nritya is an important aspect of classical Indian dance and it implies the rendering of the meaning of a song or story थ्रौघ suggestive facial expressions, codified gestures of the hands, and symbolic postures of the body.
  
  NRITTA: Nritta is meant to convey a sense of pure joy of movement and rhythm. In Nritta, a mood is conveyed through technical aspects of dance.

TANDAVA: Having being first performed by Tandu, an attendant of Shiva, the dance, is called Tandava. The aggressive and masculine aspects of dancing are called Tandava. The heroic sentiment (Veer Rasa) is prominent in this type of dancing. It is said that when Lord Shiva, destroyed the demon race, he danced the Tandava Nritya.

LASYA: The delicate and feminine aspects in dancing are called Lasya. Lasya was first performed by Shiva's counterpart "Parvati". The erotic sentiment (Shringar Rasa) is prominent in Lasya.

ANGA: The six major limbs of body, such as, head, hands, chest, torso, waist and feet. Many include neck among these.

PRATYANGA: The parts of body that connect the major limbs, such as, shoulder blades, arms, back, belly, thighs, and knees.


PARHANT: The metrical recitation of the dance syllables or bols before executing pure dance number in Kathak. In Parhant, the clapping is maintained to indicate the beats of the taal.

GAT-BHAVA: Gat-bhava is a part of Gat। In gat-bhava emotions are expressed without any accompaniment of song or words. In Gat-bhava any action or theme is interpreted through mime. .

MUDRA: The word Mudra means a definite position of a definite part of body.

There are two types of Mudras - Bhava Mudra and Anukaran Mudra.

In Bhava Mudra different emotional and psychic reactions are portrayed through different parts of the face. In Anukaran Mudra the dancer shows any object through different parts of body. In dance there are 24 Hast Mudras (Hand gestures).

CHAKKARDAAR TORA: When a Tora or a Toda is performed three times; it is called a Chakkardar Tora.

an ancient art kathak...

Brief History of Kathak
Kathak is one of the leading forms of Indian classical dance. This ancient art of India derived it's name "Kathak" from "Katha", the art of storytelling. The Kathak dancers were excellent narrators and storytellers, and they interpreted incidence from the great epics with gestures and music. Through an aesthetically exquisite and continuously evolving style, these storytellers of the past combined dance and music and became the protagonists of the modern Kathak dance.
Like many aspects of the cultural life of northern India, Kathak developed through various phases of Indian social, religious and political history, thus reflecting their diverse impact. During the Hindu period,, this performing art of north India was nurtured in temples for the glory of God. The dancers were mainly Brahmins and were held in high esteem. Kathak dance suffused mainly with Vaishnava philosophy and the Radha-Krishna theme., passed through a period of renaissance and for some time became a powerful vehicle of entertainment for the Mogul courts. As a result of fusion of Indo-Mogul culture, Kathak emerged into a new form of dance. Though the basic graces of the old form were, retained, a new format and a new idiom inevitably came to be added. The Moguls brought their Persian art introducing the geometrical patterns and designs music and dancing with special emphasis on footwork and intricate rhythmic patterns. During this period, however, Kathak became a favorite royal past time, and a source of entertainment for rich and aristocrats, thus falling into disrepute, particularly for women.
The British showed little interest in Indian dance and music. Kathak was no exception. Maharaj Bindadin the greatest of Kathak gurus, provided the much needed integration of Hindu and Mogul influences in this dance form, and Kathak became a truly representative classical dance form. The post-independence or modern Kathak is a mixture of both the temple dance and the court dance. Kathak has north Indian classical music as its cultural counterpart. The rhythmic patterns and several other common areas for these two art forms have reinforced each other.
There are three main traditionally called "Gharanas" in Kathak - Jaipur Gharana, Lucknow Gharana, and Benaras Gharana, each having its own characteristics and peculiarities. Kathak today has regained its old glory, its rightful place amongst the classical arts of " India and has inspired a number of artist. Kathak has contributed to the modern cultural' renaissance in India, and deservingly is one of the most popular classical performing art forms in India.