“The dance,” the famous musicologist Curt Sachs writes in World History of Dance, “is the mother of the arts. Music and poetry exist in time; painting and architecture in space. But the dance lives at once in time and space. The creator and the thing created, the artist and the work are still one and the same thing.”
World History of the Dance, by Curt Sachs
Classical dance forms, like Kathak, are deeply rooted in tradition and history, often tracing their origins to ancient civilizations where they were intertwined with storytelling, cultural practices and religious rituals. Kathak, originating from North India, particularly flourished in the Mughal courts, blending elements of the Hindu and the Muslim cultures. It is characterized by intricate footwork (tatkar), graceful spins (chakkars), expressive gestures (mudras), and rhythmic patterns (tala), all performed with precision and elegance. A major aspect of these techniques is the essence of Navarasa, meaning the nine emotions; nava – nine, rasa – emotional state of mind. These emotions are Shringara (love/beauty), Hasya (laughter), Karuna(sorrow), Raudra (anger), Veera (heroism/courage), Bhayanaka (terror/fear), Bibhatsa (disgust), Adbutha (surprise/wonder), Shantha (peace or tranquility). An accomplished Kathak performer’s repertoire must contain mastery of all of these rasas.
Courtesy of artanddesignaesthetics.wordpress.com
The foundation of Kathak, like other classical dance forms, lies in its codified techniques, passed down through generations from guru (teacher) to shishya (student). These techniques are meticulously taught and learned, with an emphasis on maintaining the purity of the style while allowing for individual interpretation and expression. Kathak, in particular, is known for its storytelling aspect, where dancers convey narratives from Hindu epics, Persian poetry, and folk tales through mime, gesture, and facial expressions, accompanied by live music, typically featuring the tabla, sarangi, and flute.
One particular aspect of a classical dance form like Kathak is that the themes, many times, are based on mythical stories of the divinity or magical realism of fairy tales. From the perspective of a layperson, it might seem like an unreal universe, far removed from our daily life experiences, our joys, our daily struggles and our sufferings. Contemporary dance then naturally emerges as a natural response, a response to bring us back to our daily realities. It also serves as a response to the changing social, cultural, and artistic landscape of the twentieth century. It is characterized by its fluidity, experimentation, and rejection of strict conventions, allowing for a wide range of movement vocabularies and styles. Contemporary dance encourages dancers to explore their bodies’ capabilities, emotions, and personal experiences, often incorporating elements of improvisation, contact improvisation, and floorwork.
One of the pioneers of modern art in India was the great poet Rabindranath Tagore, who, himself not a trained dancer, still created modern dance dramas (equivalent to Western musicals) through incredible storytelling, lyrical poetry and music. He actively promoted this folk-like dance form as the performing arts part of a broader education curriculum. I, being a graduate of this world-renowned institution (Vishwa Bharati), got immersed in it and still carry it in my soul.
Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Another pioneer in contemporary Indian dance was Uday Shankar who was a painter in his early life. Although he did not have any formal dance training, he had been exposed to both Indian classical dance and folk dance, as well as to ballet during his stay in Europe. He decided to bring elements of both styles together to create a new dance form, which he later named “creative dance”. He went on to translate classical Indian dance forms and their iconography to dance movements. During his stay in Europe, he had interactions with legendary artists like the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Their eventual collaboration led to the creation of ballets based on Hindu themes, including ‘Radha-Krishna’, a duet with Anna, and ‘Hindu Wedding’, in Anna’s production, ‘Oriental Impressions’. Later Uday Shankar continued to conceive and choreograph ballets, including one based on the Ajanta Caves frescoes, which was performed across the United States.
Uday Shankar
Distinct from classical dance forms, which generally adhere to established rules and techniques, contemporary dance seems to center innovation, individuality, and artistic freedom. Choreographers and dancers in the contemporary genre often draw inspiration from diverse sources, including modern art, literature, politics, and everyday life, creating works that challenge norms, provoke thought, and evoke visceral responses. In my experience, the performance of contemporary dance can be experienced through collaborations with artists from other disciplines, such as visual arts, music, and theater, resulting in interdisciplinary and multimedia productions.
In both classical forms and contemporary forms, change and evolution are embraced, just differently: the former tends to live inside of the form, and the latter challenges the confines of the form. Kathak celebrates the intricacies of Indian mythology, spirituality, and classical music, while contemporary dance explores universal themes of identity, gender, social justice, and human relationships through a modern lens. They may seem worlds apart in terms of their techniques, philosophies, and aesthetics, but they both serve as vital expressions of human creativity, emotion, and cultural identity – and both of these concepts make me the dancer and artist I am today. Together, classical and contemporary ideologies contribute to the diverse tapestry of dance, offering audiences a multifaceted experience that resonates across time and space.
