Kathak

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Kathak

Shinjini Kulkarni presenting a kathak performance
Genre	Indian classical dance
Instrument(s)	Ghungroo, Tabla, Manjira
Origin	Northern India

Kathak (Devanagari: कथक) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance.^[1] Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as Kathakar ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the Hindu epics and mythology through dance, songs and music. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word katha which means "story", and kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories".^[2][3]

Kathak dancers tell various stories utilizing hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility as well as their facial expressions. Kathak often has a strong beat and can be danced in many taals. While proto-Kathak elements can be seen long before, Kathak evolved during the Bhakti movement, particularly by incorporating the childhood and stories of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as independently in the courts of north Indian kingdoms.^[2][4] During the period of Mughal rule, the emperors were patrons of Kathak dance and actively promoted it in their royal courts.^[5] Kathak performances include Urdu ghazal and commonly used instruments brought during the Mughal period.^[6] As a result, it is the only Indian classical dance form to feature Persian elements.^[7]

Kathak is found in four distinct forms, called "gharana", named after the cities where the Kathak dance tradition evolved – Jaipur, Benares and Lucknow.^{[8][clarification needed]} While the Jaipur gharana focuses more on the foot movements, the Banaras and Lucknow gharana focus more on facial expressions and graceful hand movements. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement harmonized to the music.^[4][9] The legs and torso are generally straight, and the story is told through a developed vocabulary based on the gestures of arms and upper body movement, facial expressions, neck movements, eyes and eyebrow movement, stage movements, bends and turns. The main focus of the dance becomes the eyes and the foot movements. The eyes work as a medium of communication of the story the dancer is trying to communicate. With the eyebrows the dancer gives various facial expressions.^[4][10] The difference between the sub-traditions is the relative emphasis between acting versus footwork, with Lucknow style emphasizing acting and Jaipur style famed for its spectacular footwork.^[4]

Kathak is a performance art that has survived and thrived as an oral tradition, innovated and taught from one generation to another verbally and through practice.^[11] It transitioned, adapted, and integrated the tastes of the Mughal courts^[12] in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly by Akbar, but stagnated and went into decline during the British colonial era,^[13] then was reborn as India gained independence and sought to rediscover its ancient roots and a sense of national identity through the arts.^[10][11]