Kathak’s Key Features: Mudra Kathak comprises two distinctive elements of dance – technical and expressional. The past few posts I have focused on the technical features of Kathak so I thought it would be good to shift emphasis for this one – though there’s much more in the technical aspect yet! As Kathak literally means a storyteller, the technique used to depict a narrative, or convey an expression or an environment, is vital. Expressional pieces use the codified language of mudra (hand gesture) & expression to literally, metaphorically and poetically illustrate a narrative or theme (often to do with human existence & relationships). The stimuli may derive from traditional texts/contexts of India, Urdu and Persian poetry, or contemporary subjects. The skill lies in how many nuanced levels & ways the artist understands and can depict their chosen subject. Kathak is a naturalistic dance style, as the dance vocabulary is derived from everyday hand gestures, facial expressions and body movements. Mudra is a codified language of hand gestures to tell a story. These are recorded and prescribed in a detailed reference book of Indian dramatic techinique called Abhinaya Darpana or The Mirror of Gesture written by Nandikesvara in 2nd Century AD. Most Indian classical dance styles refer to this for deeper understanding and appreciation of gesture and expression and follow the exact instruction of how to achieve a gesture or an expression. Kathak however, has a more casual approach to following the technique of articulating the mudra given the naturalistic accent it adopts. Mudras are nevertheless used in Kathak, particularly to define subjects of and within a narrative. Some examples of animal Mudra has been posted in the album below. Sonia Dance, Choreographer, Teacher. AD of Sonia Sabri Company
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 13:57:02 +0000