History of Kathak

This style from northern India has gained immense popularity today. It is known for its sparkling footwork, fast whirling movements and subtle abhinaya or mimetic dance. It almost never fails to capture the audience and this ability is probably because of its long history in the courts of emperor's and kings.

The word Kathak is derived from the name given to its practitioners 'Kathakars'. Katha meaning story and it's practitioners being those who told these stories. They told stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and other puranas. These practitioners were taught by temple priests who were well versed in dance and music.

This was prior to the advent of the Mughal dynasty in North India. With Mughal rule these performing bards were banned from performing in temples and were made to serve in courts for entertainment. The Kathakars had to change with history and it is in the Mughal courts that they developed a style for pure entertainment of the emperors. It said that under the patronage of Emperor Akbar the performers grew and flourished. Even today the performers wear costumes that resemble the paintings made during the Mughal era. For example this Kangra painting c.1775 AD, shows a heroine or nayika and the grace and beauty of this painting is still reflected in the Kathak dance style today.

After the power of Mughal empire declined these performers were patronized by kings such as those in Rajasthan and other minor princely states such as the nawab of Oudh etc. The style developed two major lineages - the Jaipur gharana and the Lucknow gharana.

The most well known guru and performer of the Kathak style today is Guru Birju Maharaj. His mastery of the style and efforts with which he spread its popularity all over the world make him unique in his field. He comes from a long lineage of dance guru's of Kathak and today his students are themselves good performers and teachers. The other famous gurus are the late Guru Durga Lal, (late)Guru Gopi Krishna, Sitara Devi, Guru Kumudini Lakhia and Uma Sharma.

Contemporary stage has quite a few stalwarts like Saswati Sen, Shovana Narayan, and Uma Dogra. In Bombay the established teachers and gurus are Sarang Sisters and Damayanti Joshi.