Prashant
Shah, will perform
Kathak; a Classical Dance from North India. A special dance
choreographed for The Mississippi will be performed.
Kathak
is one of the leading forms of North Indian classical dance
that is dated back to 1550 B.C. It derived its name from
the word " Katha " or the art of story telling.
The Kathak dancers were excellent narrators and stroytellers
and they interpreted incidences from the great epics through
their dance. The Kathak that is witnessed today evolved
from these groups of male dancers called " Kathakas
" who traveled to the indigenous populations of India
spreading Hinduism through dance, mime, singing, and acting.
Through an aesthetically exquisite and continuously evolving
style, these storytellers of the past combined dance and
music and became the protagonists of the modern Kathak dance.
Like many aspects of cultural life
Kathak developed through various phases of Indian social,
religious and political history, reflecting and absorbing
their diverse impact.
During the Hindu period, this performing
art was nurtured in temples for the glory of God. The dancers
were mainly Brahmins and were held in high esteem. Kathak
dance suffused mainly the Vaishnava philosophy and the Radha-Krishna
theme.
Over the various periods and invasions
in the history of India, Kathak was most influenced by the
Moghul reign. As a result of the fusion of Indo-Mugul culture,
Kathak emerged into a new form of dance. A new format and
a new idiom inevitably came to be added. The Moguls brought
their Persian art introducing the geometrical patterns and
designs, with special emphais on footwork and intricate
rhythmic patterns. During this period, however, Kathak became
a favorite royal past time, and a source of entertainment
for the rich and aristocratic Mogul court, thus falling
into disrepute, particularly for women. .
The British showed little interest in Indian dance and music.
Kathak was no exception.
Maharaj Bindadin, the greatest of
Kathak gurus, provided the much needed integration of Hindu
and Mogul influences in this dance form, and Kathak became
a truely representative dance form.
The dancers and musicians from Persia
borrowed some elements and features of Indian art. Likewise,
the Indian artists were also influenced by the arts of the
Middle East. Over hundreds of years, the arts of the two
cultures borrowed from one another and ultimately fused
into one. Kathak is the best result of the conglomeration
of the two cultures. In Kathak the major part of the interpretive
themes were largely centered around Radha Krishna, and retelling
incidents in the life of Krishna. Rhythmic syllables were
composed from the words in praise of Krishna and were used
in Kathak.
During this period, Kathak was showered
with emotional values, variety of movements and intricate
foot work, which exemplifies the modern day characteristics
of Kathak.
The post-independence or modern Kathak is a mixture of both
the temple dance and the court dance. Kathak has north Indian
classical music as its cultural counterpart. The rhythmic
patterns and several other common areas for these two art
forms have reinforced each other.
There are three main ‘houses’ traditionally
called “Gharanas” in Kathak - Jaipur Gharana,
Lucknow Gharana, and Benaras Gharana, each having its own
characteristics and peculiarities.
Kathak today has regained its old
glory, its rightful place amongst the classical arts of
India and has inspired a number of artist. Kathak has contributed
to the modern cultural renaissance in India, and deservingly
is one of the most popular classical performing art forms
in India.
About Mississippi River….
The word ‘Mississippi’
have several American Indian origins:
Primary orignis are from The Sauk of our area who called
it " Mase'sibowi " , the Ojibwe name for the river,
“Messipi”, which means big river, and to the
Algonquin
" Missi Sepe" , “great river,” literally,
“father of waters.”
It is also named “ River of
Holy Spirit”.
Prashant Shah has choreographed a
special Kathak Dance peice in celebration of The Mississippi,
the great river.
He gives the following words for
his creative expression:
River & Dance………
" Rivers have frequently been
the topic of dance in the Indian art. Some dance forms tell
of those who traveled these water trails, some are about
the river itself, while some spin tales of events related
to the river.
On the other hand, some touch our
emotions with stories of sorrow and woe or of joy and happiness.
The mighty Mississippi through its
coarse and force has left deep impression of human emotions
in our lives down the years. Here, I personally visualize
two strong realities which left positive and negative emotions
on human lives, which can be connected to the life of Mississippi.
One, “creation” and other “destruction”.
In other words, the creativity always brings joy, happiness,
pride etc whereas, the destruction is the end of everything.
Now the questions arise……………
What has dance got to do with rivers
? Well, in one sense, the inexorable ebb and flow of the
river waters is complementary to the fluid movements of
dance. Who better than a dancer could convey the dynamism,
the insurgency, the grace and turmoil of these terrestrial
circulatory systems ?
Though, Mighty Mississippi has holy spirit and will have
it forever – here the choreographer attempts through
the dance number ‘Aakar’ ( which literally means
Shapes ) to show the vigor, strong and destructive mood
of Mississippi river through Nataraja dance technique and
abhinaya ( Lord of Dance – Shiva’s expressions
) strong footwork, fast pirouettes and quality of father
of all rivers whereas in the other side of this same dance
piece, the choreographer visualizes the positive impact
of Mississippi river on human life through lyrical movements
identifying it to the flow of Mississippi river and also
people playing with water with respect to the Natwar dance
philosophy abhinaya and technique. "
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Programme details…………
The programme will be divided into
two half’s………….
Aakar………in the
first half in connection to Mississippi river
Traditional Kathak dance…………..Krishna
Vandana, Piya Bawri, Tarana in the second half….
The Performance is held at
THE MOLINE CLUB
2ND. FLOOR
513 16TH. STREET.
on
SUNDAY ..MAY 15TH. 2005
at
5.00 P.M TO 6.30 P.M.
Refreshments to follow with a chance to meet the artist.
call 309-762-8547 for details.
