Kathak is a North Indian dance form, with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as its prominent centres. It is known for its complex footwork, sharp spins, abhinaya, and technical virtuosity. The following photos provide a vibrant glimpse of the dance by bringing to light its different postures, stances, mudras, costumes, etc. While Kathak does not have a structured set of mudras, over the past few decades it has gradually acquired the usage of some. Mudras are basically a codified set of hand gestures used in dance to express something. Mudras find their maximum elaboration in the ‘abhinaya’ or expressional aspect of dance.
The unique aspect of abhinaya (expression) in Kathak is that the hand gestures and facial expressions resemble our normal, everyday life expressions and are not strictly codified and prescribed like in other classical dance forms. This could probably be owing to its desi connections, and also the emphasis placed on improvisation and personal interpretation, which allows the scope for subjectivity in every performance. It is with the gradual institutionalisation of the dance form in the post-Independence (1947) era that the mudras and textual codification found their way in Kathak teachings. Texts and rules that applied to other classical dance forms were also applied to Kathak, ignoring its unique subjectivity in abhinaya exploration. However, there are certain mudras and foot movements that are used in Kathak and enhance its gestural significance.
Dancer- Siddhi Goel
Photography and Editing- Shifani Reffai
