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Abstract:
In this short description of the classical dance of North India, kathak, our intention is not to
present a comprehensive picture of an art form: many authors have attempted this already,
and although their accounts are sometimes controversial or contradictory, they nonetheless
constitute a formidable body of detailed information supplemented with a wealth of
photographic documentation of dancers in a myriad of poses (see, for example, Anand 1959,
Banerji 1982 & 1986; Kothari 1989; Misra 1991; Samson 1987; Singha and Massey 1967;
Vatsyayan 1974). This is also not intended to be an aesthetic analysis (see Saxena 1991).
Instead this is a brief, idiosyncratic view of kathak largely through the eyes of its foremost
modern exponent, Pandit Birju Maharaj. Birju Maharaj is a direct descendant of a line of
dancers who have been intimately linked with the city and culture of Lucknow for two
centuries; it was here that this unique style of kathak was born, where it evolved, and where
it grew to become the best-known and most pervasive of the various regional styles of this
genre. Our aim, then, is to provide a little background and context for Lucknow kathak, and
to hint at the beauty and character of the art
form itself. Arguably the most important
function of a description such as this is to
encourage readers to attend a performance and
see for themselves kathak's elegant swirling
movements, lightning quick pirouettes, its
sudden poses, the rapid stamping of feet, and
the subtle gestures capable of expressing the
fullest possible range of emotions.
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