Kathak Choreography

CONTEMPORARY AND WESTERN APPROACH IN         KATHAK CHOREOGRAPHY

Abstract

The concept of choreography is age old in Indian dance, the roots of which can be traced in the various piṇḍibandha-s mentioned in the Nāṭyaśāstra. The regional variety of the Rāsa dance that evolved later, are the examples of choreography in India. Kathak dance that developed during the medieval era, comprised of various dance compositions including the Rāsa dance. Later, in the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah the Rāsa dance was choreographed as Rahas by the Nawab. The modern era witnessed many ballets based on mythological themes that were presented in Kathak on the proscenium stage. Today, there are variety of theme-based choreographies, both in nṛtta and nṛtya of Kathak.

The term ‘contemporary’ means, that which is related to the current times. Today the ancient form of Kathak is reconstructed in order to suit the present times and the present audience. The exposure to the western world has influenced the mode of presentation as well as the themes in Kathak choreographies. The blend of contemporary and western ideas in today’s Kathak choreographies will be discussed in this paper.

Key Words: contemporary, western, deconstruction, redefine, redesign tradition.

          The principles of choreography are space, time, movement, light and music. Among these the movement is the important unit of dance. The design of movement in space is the core aspect of choreography. The basic movements and stances in Kathak developed and established by the medieval period and became the part of Kathak tradition. In the post-independent era these movements and stances were thoughtfully redefined and redesigned by Pandit Birju Maharaj – the doyenne of Kathak. With his aesthetic sense and creative genius, he brought remarkable change in the stylization of the movements making them manifold. The traditional stances in Kathak were also redesigned by Maharajji giving rise to a variety of combinations in stances and hand positions (hastak). In other words, this was the contemporizing of Kathak movements. In this process Kathak dance acquired a contemporary aesthetic frame, which was within the traditional boundaries. Based on this aesthetic frame, the vocabulary of Kathak movements has grown immensely over the years. With its variety of combinations, it creates beautiful designs in the given space of choreography.

Space in choreography can be compared to the blank canvas of an artiste. The dancer-choreographer creates different designs which are portrayed on the stage space. Today, the space also functions as a part of the theme. It is creatively used to convey various ideas related to the theme. The use of platforms and levels behind as well as on the central stage, in various shapes and heights enhances the effect of the choreography. The use of these also adds to the physical dimension in a choreography.

The theme or concept is another important aspect of choreography. The traditional content of Kathak includes the huge corpus of mythology and the classic Indian literature. The Kṛṣṇa lore is the central theme in the traditional Kathak format. With the changing times the mythological stories are replaced by contemporary themes in Kathak choreographies. The legendary dancer-choreographer Kumudini Lakhia is the pioneer in exploring contemporary themes. Since then this trend has been assimilated in Kathak.

Today there are many choreographies which portray contemporary themes, be it a social issue or a novel concept. Along with these, the classic themes are also portrayed in an innovative manner. For example, the concept of navarasa which is traditionally presented through mythological episodes, can be presented in a choreography by interpreting day to day life experiences.

In contemporary times there is a wide choice of music, costume, makeup, jewelry, light and technology, and the artiste is free to explore these in accordance to the theme and its audio-visual design.

The history of Kathak dance is evident of the fact that Kathak has encountered diverse cultural milieus and has been highly adaptable to assimilate new ideas. The influence of Persian culture is well known to all. In modern era the technical aspect of Kathak presentation was influenced by the western culture. This includes the use of modern technology including sound, light design, stagecraft etc. In the later period, the artistes who were exposed to western world, were greatly influenced by their art forms. They creatively blended the western thought in their productions. The influence of ballet with its gliding movements, the leaps, the large groups of dancers, the costume and many more ideas effectively found their ways in Kathak choreographies. The minimalist approach in costume and jewelry found in the works of Kumudini Lakhia can be seen in this light.

Today, the world has become a global village with direct contact with the western culture. The artistes and the audience are exposed to a multicultural milieu. In such an environment where many western concepts have become a part of Indian culture, the performing arts cannot remain unaffected by it. Thus, it is inevitable that the Kathak choreographies today will have a blend of western and contemporary approach.

The contemporary and western approach in Kathak choreographies is illustrated on the bases of two choreographic works – 1. ‘Nishabda-Bheda’ and 2. ‘Footprints on Water’.

1.    ‘Nishabda-Bheda is a choreography by Guru Shama Bhate. The theme is to explore silence. It is based on the Oscar winning French documentary ‘Le Monde Du Silence’. This is a documentation of an expedition which was carried out in deep seas to explore the deep marine life existing in absolute silence.

In this presentation the selected excerpts of the documentary were projected on the screen at the backdrop. The choreography on stage was such that the screen space and stage space were integrated by the choreographer. The dancers interpreted movements of waves, vegetation, fishes etc. creating different formations.  These movements were innovated from the traditional Kathak movements making them suitable to the theme.

The idea of exploring silence in a dance choreography parallel to a documentary is a contemporary theme. The silent pieces in the theme were highlighted by inserting musical pieces of sitār, sarod and violin. To justify ‘silence’ the dancers did not wear ghuṅgru-s.

The dancers wore a simple one-piece gown in shades of blue to match the sea waves. Except for a earring, no other piece of jewelry was used. Their hair was tied in a French bun. The makeup was usual, with half of their face painted to create the effect of a sea weed. As said by Guru Shama Bhate, “I visualized the dancers as human forms and not as a particular dancer.” Thus, the forms in deep marine waters were interpreted by human forms without giving any identity to the dancers in the choreography.

The dance pieces were purely Kathak without any dilution. The contemporary theme was thus presented in a contemporary manner with western style of costume and makeup, which was the need of the theme.

2.    Foot Prints on Water

This is a choreography by dancer-choreographer Aditi Mangaldas. The theme of this work was traditional - the depiction of the six seasons, yet the treatment and presentation of the theme was contemporary. The seasons were related to the human life and emotions. The depiction was not based on the traditional compositions like jhūlā, caitī etc. instead the rhythmic compositions like toḍā ṭukḍā were employed in an innovative way. It was a blend of abstract and narrative as well as traditional and contemporary thought in dance. In this choreography she had introduced new movements and body aesthetic for the first time. As said before the classic theme of seasons was presented in a contemporary manner.

Apart from the new movements, there are many contemporary and western elements commonly seen in her presentations. For example, the explanation of the composition or any other narrative is mostly done in English. All the narrative part including paḍhant is done in sitting position. Many a times the theme is conveyd through a poetry in English, and is recited by her sitting before the microphone. The blend of contemporary and western approach is clearly seen in these works.

Kathak as a performing art has always adapted to the changing times and sustained through the challenges of time. In today’s era whatever changes occur in the socio-cultural plane will be reflected in Kathak, and it will continue to flow with time. The only caution one has to take is that the innovations should not affect the tradition, but enrich it in multifold.

Dr. Varada Pandit