Native to northern India, Kathak is one of the six
classical Indian dance forms.The word Kathak is derived from katha , meaning
"a story", and hence the word Kathak means a storyteller who
recounted mythological tales in the temples and danced them in a state of
ecstasy. An ancient storytelling device, Kathak originated within the Hindu
temples as a means of portraying the epic tales contained within the
Mahabharata and Ramayana, Hindu scriptures. Poetry combined with rhythmic
movement to aid in the worshipful storytelling.
However, the stories didn’t stay within the temple walls
for long. Nomadic Kathaks, or wandering storytellers, soon began carrying the
dances throughout the country. They added emotional facial expressions to their
performances, further developing the dance to include elements of mime. In this
way, Kathak transitioned from its secluded, devotional origins to a more
accessible, multi-disciplined, entertainment tradition.
The
emergence of Raslila , mainly in the Braj region (Mathura in Western U.P.) was an
important development. It combined in itself music, dance and the narrative.
Dance in Raslila, however, was mainly an extension of the basic mime and
gestures of the Kathakars or story-tellers which
blended easily with the existing traditional dance.
The
Vaishnavite cult which swept North India in the 15th century. and the resultant
bhakti movement contributed to a whole new range of lyrics and musical forms.
The Radha-Krishna theme proved immensely popular alongwith the works of
Mirabai, Surdas, Nandadas and Krishnadas.
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