Kathak Unveiled: The Crafting of Rhythmic Patterns and Expressive Storytelling
Join us for an immersive journey into kathak, one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. This lecture-demonstration moves beyond the surface of performance to unveil the intricate mechanics and soulful narratives that define this art form.
Tracing its origins from the nomadic kathakas (storytellers) of ancient northern India to its evolution in the royal Mughal courts, this session explores how kathak has evolved into a sophisticated language of both mathematics and emotion.
What the Session Covers:
- The Historical Lineage: A brief overview of kathak’s evolution from temple storytelling to a refined courtly art and its place in the modern global stage.
- The Architecture of Rhythm: A deep dive into the crafting of complex rhythmic structures. Barkha will demonstrate how basic time cycles are layered with intricate footwork (tatkaar), pirouettes (chakkars), and mathematical compositions (aamad, utthan, parans).
- The Art of Narrative: An exploration of abhinaya (expression), where the dancer uses subtle facial nuances and symbolic hand gestures (mudras) to bring short stories from mythology and daily life to vivid reality.
- Contemporary Musings: Barkha has been creating dance works that also look at what it means to expand the boundaries of a form like kathak and engaging with abstraction, non-linear storytelling and embodied emotionality.
- Culminating Solos: The presentation concludes with three original solos: 2 traditional technical and storytelling solos and a sharing of a more contemporary kathak work.
