Press Release

On the sixth day of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’, viewers learned about the nuances of Jaipur Gharana style of Kathak in the session ‘Jaipur Kathak’. The 3-day online learning session is being conducted by Kathak exponent, Namita Jain. During the session, the viewers had the opportunity to explore various dance sequences, hand gestures, feet work and much more. It was a unique opportunity for viewers to learn and revive dance skills, gain knowledge on Kathak, and understand the significance of the dance in today’s time.

The session began with a brief introduction of Kathak as a dance form. The term Kathak is derived from the word ‘Katha’ which means ‘story’, and ‘Kathakar’ which means ‘the storyteller’. Specialties of the Jaipur Gharana style of Kathak were also shared. This was followed by brief discussion on the importance of ‘Taal’ and ‘Leh’ in Kathak. Similarly, the type of instruments used or played during a Kathak performance and what is played on these instruments during a performance were also discussed.

After the theoretical knowledge of the dance form was given, the artiste began with the practical part of the session. She demonstrated the ‘Pranam’ by way of which the dancer seeks blessings before beginning the Kathak dance. As a foundation of Kathak, the artiste then taught ‘Teen Taal’ which comprises of ‘16 Matra’ (16 beats).  ‘Teen Tal’ is the most commonly used Taal in Kathak. It is a part of ‘Taatkar’ (footwork) which is the foundation of Kathak. The session also introduced the viewers to the smaller definitions of terms specific to Kathak like Aavartan, Taali, Hastak, among others.

Tomorrow’s Programme on Friday, 22 May

On Friday, 22 May, the second day of the ‘Jaipur Kathak’ online learning session ‘Jaipur Kathak’ will be conducted by Kathak exponent, Namita Jain. The session will begin with a short revision of the previous day’s teachings. The day’s lesson will focus on ‘Hast Sanchalan’ (hand postures), movements used during the dance to make the body look graceful, Mudra, Taatkar and much more.

It is to be noted that the online learning session will be Live on JKK’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/jawaharkalakendra.jaipur/

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