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It
has its root in Katha-story. A band of story tellers who were attached
to temples in North India, narrated stories from epics. Later, they
added mime and gesture to their recitation.
The next stage in its evolution came in the 15th and 16th centuries
A.D. with the popularisation of the Radha-Krishna leg end. With
the advent of the Muslim rule, it was taken out from the temples
to the courts. Jaipur, Lucknow and Benaras became the centres.
While Jaipur gave predominance to pure dance with emphasis on rhythm,
the Lucknow one drifted into erotics.
Benaras also stuck to pure dance but it provided for the sensuous
aspect by delineating episodes from the Radha-Krishna legend. The
parton king of the Lucknow style was Wajid Ali Shah who spent extravagantly
on art. The place of women in Kathak was of a different order.
They were known as nach-walis who adorned the courts of the Mughals.
Apart from this, they were used for entertainment of the pleasure
seeking rulers and their fawning toadies. Eventually they came to
be categorised as women of easy virtue.
The Kathak dance goes through aregular format mostly concen trating
on rhythm, variously called Tatkar, Poltas, Thoras, Amad and Parans.
Binda Din Maharaj, Kalkadin, Aachan Maharaj, Gopi Krishna and Birju
Maharaj are but a few maestros in this line.
It
has its root in Katha-story. A band of story tellers who were attached
to temples in North India, narrated stories from epics. Later, they
added mime and gesture to their recitation.
