Know More
About Us
KathakNatyam is a Pan-India-registered institute for performing arts based on the fusion of two of the most prominent Indian classical dance forms, Bharatanatyam and Kathak. The vision is to create a genre where two or more dancers come together with illustrations of their dance form without altering its purity and traditionalism. The harmony between Kathak and Bharatanatyam is a non-contemporary approach where the core aspects, ‘Nritta’ and ‘Nritya’, will portray pure technical dance and excerpts from Hindu mythology from a unique perspective. It opens a new window of possibilities, broadening the horizon of expression through dance. The music has an equal influence of both Carnatic and Hindustani styles to preserve purity of the dance forms. This serves the audience with a new genre of music and provides comfort to the dancers from both fraternities.
Founders
Smt. Rajni Maharaj
Shri Tribhuwan Maharaj
Our Faculty
Elangovan Govindarajan
Shri Ravindra Kumar Soni
Kanika Chandra
Koyalika Chandra
Suman Joshi
Gargi Barve Divekar
WE WELCOME YOU TO OUR CLASSES
Kathak is one of the main genres of ancient Indian classical dance and is traditionally regarded to have originated from the traveling bards of North India referred to as Kathakars or storytellers.
Kathak has been originated from kichkila village (a village in handia tehsil). The word kathak has been derived from the word “kathavachan”, katha means story and vachan means telling.
Kathak originated within Hindu temples as a storytelling device for portraying epic tales from Hindu scriptures, Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Kathakars soon began carrying the dances throughout India. They added emotions and facial expressions to their performances, further developing the dance to include elements of mime and theatricality.
During the medieval period, Kathak became an established part of court culture, performed under the patronage of India’s Persian kings and Muslim moghuls.
The mesmerizing, precise, and pulsating footwork, as well as the graceful yet detailed carriage of the upper body, hand placements, and facial expressions demonstrate Kathak’s diverse cultural influences.
The teachings of Kathak were generally passed from one generation to another within certain families. Thus three traditional schools or gharanas were born- Lucknow, Banaras, and Jaipur Gharana. Each Gharana has its own unique set of techniques and aesthetics.
The Lucknow Gharana of Kathak was founded by Ishwari Prasad, a devotee of the Bhakti movement.
Ishwari Prasad ji taught dance to his three sons- Adgu ji, Khadgu ji and Tularam ji. After the death of Ishwari Prasad ji, Khadgu ji and Tularam ji stopped dancing. However, Adgu ji gave full education of dance to his three sons – Pragas ji, Dayal ji and Harilal ji. After the death of his father Adguji, Pragas came to Lucknow with his brothers and was appointed as a court dancer.
Pragas ji had three sons – Durga Prasad, Thakur Prasad and Mansingh. Durga Prasad ji had two sons – Bindadin, and Kalka Prasad
Shri Kalka Prasad had three sons – Acchan Maharaj, Lachhu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj.
The dance maestro Shri Birju Maharaj is the son of Shri Achhan Maharaj. who with his devotion and dedication has given a new dimension to Kathak.
Pt. birju maharaj passed this art work to his son pt. jai kishan maharaj . And he passed the art to his son shri tribhuwan maharaj , 9th generation of kalka bindadin gharana .
Lucknow Gharana particularly emphasises grace, elegance and naturalness in the dance. Abhinaya or expressional acting, especially improvised, plays a very strong role in this style.
Bharatanatyam, a prominent Indian classical dance form presumably the oldest classical dance heritage of India is regarded as mother of many other Indian classical dance forms. , originated from Tamil Nadu.
The meaning of Bharatnatyam has come from the word Bha meaning emotion (Bhava), Ra meaning music (Raaga) , Ta meaning rhythm (Taal) and Natyam meaning dance. Thus Bharatanatyam is the dance that encompasses music, rhythm and expression and strictly adheres to the Natyashastra (the scripture of classical Indian dance).
Originating in Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and nearby regions, bharatnatyam soon prospered in other South Indian temples. According to some sources the Devadasi culture dating back to 300 BCE to 300 CE evolved under the auspices of the royals that saw the temple dancers called Devadasis, who were dedicated to serve the Lord as dasis or servants, performing the dance form. Eventually the Devadasi culture became an integral part of rituals in South Indian temples.
Theoretical base of this form traces back to ‘Natya Shastra’, the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text on the performing arts. A form of illustrative anecdote of Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas emoted by dancer with excellent footwork and impressive gestures its performance repertoire includes nrita, nritya and natya
The tabla is the most commonly played drum set in North Indian music.
Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as accompaniment with other instruments and vocals, and as a part of larger ensembles.
The tabla takes its name from the tabl of Arabic origin. The general meaning of the term tabl is an instrument facing upwards, with a flat surface.
The tabla is a set of two drums that are played while sitting on the floor. The larger drum, called Bayan, was originally made from clay, but is now constructed of metal (bras, steel, or copper). The Bayan is considered the bass drum of the set,. The right-hand drum is called the Dahina, and is made of a seasoned hard wood and hollowed out like the Bayan.
Tabla has a complex playing technique. It involves extensive use of fingers and palms which produces a wide variety of different sounds and rhythms called mnemonic syllables (bol).
The level of sophistication and tonal beauty it possesses has elevated the instrument to an unmatched status in the world of percussion.
Soon after tabla drums were invented in the early 18th century, some of the early expert players began to develop stylistic specialties that eventually turned into distinct regional schools (or families) of tabla playing called gharanas.
Each gharana started to develop compositions and techniques that were unique to their region,and
would draw a lineage or family tree showing the line of great players over the generations and the compositional contributions by noteworthy players.
The different Gharanas in Tabla are-
- Delhi Gharana
- Lucknow Gharana
- Ajrada Gharana
- Farukhabad Gharana
- Benares Gharana
- Punjab Gharana
All classical Indian music originates from the text Natya Shastra, where Bharata defines the fundamentals of music as an art form encompassing Swara, Tala, and Pada.
Around the 14th century, it culminated in the division of Indian music into two branches: Hindustani and Carnatic.
Both Carnatic and Hindustani music originated from the same source, the definitive split in the two styles happened after the rise of the Mughal empire.
Carnatic music, known as Karnataka samgita or Karnataka Sangitam in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka.
Like all art forms in Indian culture, Indian classical music is believed to be a divine art form which originated from the Devas and Devis (Hindu Gods and Goddesses),and is venerated as symbolic of nada brahman. Ancient treatises also describe the connection of the origin of the swaras, or notes, to the sounds of animals and birds and man’s effort to simulate these sounds through a keen sense of observation and perception.
The work of a Carnatic musician is spiritual in context, as the basic principles of this tradition provide the tools necessary to express great emotion. Carnatic tradition is known for its complex rhythms and melodies, based on the classical Indian frameworks of talas and ragas. The most popular instruments used in Carnatic performances include vocals, mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, santoor, venu flute, tanpura, and veena.
Events
- ‘Katha Bhaav ‘presentation at Art of Living, Bangalore on 28th January 2023.
- Shradhanjali to Smt. Annapurna Devi ji presenting Kathak Recital on 29th January 2023 at Triveni Auditorium, New Delhi.
- Dance production, 'BASURI' at 25th Vasantotsava 2023 in Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi.
- Kathak production, 'YAMUNA' on G20 summit on 11th and 12th February 2023 in Agra.
Featured In
