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Interested in Kathak Lessons?

Kathak is one of the seven recognized Indian Classical Dance forms. Kathak originated in Northern India in the temples as a form of story telling. This tradition is referred to often as 'katha kahe so kathak' meaning 'story told through dance'. The stories themselves were based on Hindu mythology. In particular stories about Lord Krishna were popular then and endure to this day. During periods of mogul invasions the kathak dancers faced destruction and disruption of the temple tradition. Many dancers had to adopt mogul patrons and performed their art in the Darbar. Though these conditions forced some changes in the traditional style there were also many positive developments. The competitive nature of the Darbar and the need to please the mogul patrons accelerated the maturation of kathak into an art form and many new impressive entertaining aspects of modern kathak were further developed during this time. The moguls were great patrons of all forms of art, including musicians, dancers and artists. In this environment Kathak was further enhanced through exposure to various skilled performers of Hindustani Classical music.

Kathak is based on Hindustani classical music typically performed to the accompaniment of percussion instruments such as Tabla and Pakhvaj and melodic accompaniment of Harmonium, Sarangi or Flute. Intricate footwork or Tatkar interwoven with the rhythm and tempo of the music is a distinctive feature of Kathak. The impact of the foot on the floor can be varied to produce different sounds which resembles that of Tabla or Pakhavaj. The tempo is not kept constant but rises to a crescendo during the performance. There is also great synchronization between the elegant movements of hands and the nimble footwork. Swift and rhythmic spins is a specialization of Kathak dancers. The portrayal of Bhava or emotions is also a forte of Kathak and is particularly important in the story telling aspect of Kathak

Ashwini Gogate has over 20 year training in Kathak. She has been running her highly successful dance school in Lexington, KY for the past 8 years and now has started a class in Louisville, KY.