| AMAD |
Amad means entry or arrival. It is
of the nature of pure dance and is formaly
indicated as entry of the dancer on the
stage. |
| ANGA |
The six, such as head, hands,
chest, sides (flanks), waist (hips) and feet
are called Angas. Many include neck also among
these. |
| ANGIKA |
Angika is named as such because it
is expressed in three ways by Anga, Pratyanga
and Upanga which are used in every dance. When
Anga (major limb) moves, the Pratyanga and
Upanga also move. |
| BHAJAN |
Bhajans are replete with Bhakti
Rasa or devotional verses and are compositions
of the saint musicians, Surdas, Tulsidas,Mira
and Kabir. |
| CHATURANG |
Chatranga as the trem itself means
is self-explanatory: a composition that has
four parts: the words of the song, the
syllables used for tarana, the solfa syllables
of the saragam and trivat that has the mnemonic
syllables of the pakhawaj. |
| Dadra |
Dadra is a light composition set
to some folk tune or a light cassical Raga. The
language is usually folk dialect.It gets its
name from the Tal to which it is sung. This
happens to be a favourite musical composition
on hich a great deal of interpretative dancing
has been devloped in Kathak. |
| KASAK-MASAK |
Torso movements are known to this
dance style. Only the shoulder line changes its
angle which appears to be manipulation of the
upper torso. This treatment gives the dance
style its peculiar fluidity and some its
characteristic torso postures. The shoulder
line and its deflection (with one
shoulder depressed and the other raised) is
used at its best in the execution of movements
known as the Kasak-Masak |
| KAVIT TODA |
Kavit Toda has bols, mnemonic
syllables, affixed to the text. The dancer
employs appropriate hand gestures and
expressions for the words of the text and keeps
laya by feet. Dancer attempts to give a glimpse
of abhinaya which on account of the speed at
best remains fleeting and elementary. Many
Kavits are composed narrating the mythological
stories and are performed with abhinaya in a
fast tempo. The popular Kavits are of Krishna's
prank centering around stealing the butter,
Makahan chori, lifting the amount of Govardhan,
etc. When enacted in abhinaya they give
glimpses of abhinaya and are done in
Natyadharmi mode as a solo dancer performs
various roles n depcting the characters. |
| LAYA |
Laya is speed or tempo of rhythm.
Laya has three catagories: 1.Vilambit meaning
slow or single speed. 2. madhya meaning medium
speed or double the speed of vilamvit and 3.
drut meaning fast or four imes the speed of
vilambit. |
| PADHANT |
The metric recitation of
bols or syllabes in TODA with clappings
indicating the beats or Tal's is called
padhant. Padhant is the part of the traditional
tecnique of Kathak.Its essential requisites are
correct pronunciation, accents and intonation
of the bols. It also serves the purpose of
acquationg the percussionist with the mnemonics
of the dance pattern to be danced. |
| PALTE |
The literal meaning of Palte is
turning. Turning the notes, variations of
tatkar is known as Palte.which are double, four
times, eight times or higher speed, or
fractional one and half, double, quadruple and
complicated multiples, like one and half times
or three times the original speed.Tatkars and
Paltee offer scintillating patterns of sound
imagery, and those are produced by dexterously
manipulating the pace of the footwork and the
cadence of the ankle-bells,.thus while at one
moment the dancer may unleash a crescendo of
passionate fury, at the very next moment he may
do bridle his sound as to convey no more than
the whisper-soft tintinnabulation of just one
Ghungru. |
| PARAN |
A Toda which is composed
exclusively of the bols of Pakhawaj is called
PARAN. |
| PRATYANGA |
The six, such as shoulder- blades,
arms,back belly, thigh (claves) and shanks.
Many add three more- wrists, elbows and knees
combined and neck. |
| SALAMI |
Salami is a grace bowing to the
patron, a convention, a reminder of the feudal
court element, employed in Kathak as a
salutation to the audience. |
| SUM |
 The Sum is the first beat of any
Tal or time measure. Its sign is "X". A
variation is usually spread over several bars
and the excitement reaches a climax, not with
the last beat of the time measure but with the
first beat of the next cycle. It is impossible
to miss the Sum, for it is always pointed with
a sense of achivement and satisfaction. And
when the Sum is accurately executed after
difficult and exciting variations, the
audience bursts into spontaneous
applause. |
| TAL |
Tal is a set of rhythm played
within a selected time measure such as a
tritaal, a measure of sixteen beats, ektal a
measure of twelve beats, or dadra a measure of
six beats. |
| TATKAR |
 Tatkar s the basic footwrk of
Kathak dance. All through the performance the
dancer concerns herself/ himself with the
rhythm and timing. This is controlled by the
footwork. Tatkar is the nature of self
completing number. |
| TEHAI |
A rythmic pattern danced three
times in succession and landing on Sum (the
first beat of any tal) is called Tehai. Tehais
lend colour to the todas and they are danced
with precision, flourish and beautific
concluding posture that mark the Sum. |
| THAAT |
Thaat means decoration. Ths dancer
uses gentle and delicate movements of wrists,
neck, eye-glances, eyebrows etc. in thaat.
Thaat is the introduction of the dance
movements and rythem. |
| THUMRI |
 Thumri is a common genre of
semiclassical Indian music from the North. The
text is romantic and devotional in nature, and
usually revolves around a girl's love for
Krishna. In Thumri compositions Shringara Rasa
prevails. |
| TODA |
In a Toda, a dancer performs to
the composition of the time beats in a rythmic
cycle, ending with Tehai and arriving on the
sum, the concluding beat. |
| TRIVAT or TIRVAT |
Tirvat is a musical composition
which has bols of pakhawaj. It treats the bol
of pakhawaj as asthayi and antara while
singing. The bandish is then danced with
movements of the arms in keeping with the tala
and laya. Trivat has three distinct elements:
the bols of the pakhavaj, the solfa syllables
of the sargam and the kavit. |
| TUKDA |
Tukda means small fragment or a
piece.A small Toda is know as a Tukda. |
| UPANGA |
Scholars class shoulder as Upanga
and according to Abhinaya Darpana,
eyes,eye-brows, eyeballs, nose, jaws,teeth,
chin, and faceare also called Upangas. Thus
Upangas in the head are twelve. In other limbs
there are ankles, toes and fingers. Upanga as
mentioned in Natya Shasta are only six. |
Facebook