Hues of Kathak

It is quite an art to illustrate poems through dance movements. Words have a special way of weaving vivid, lively images in our minds. This is a presentation on a poetry by Javed Akhtar, an Indian poet, lyricist and screen writer and a recipient of a number of prestigious awards including Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

Technical skill is the ability to control what the body does. Good technique underpins everything we do in dance.Here the performers will be doing pure technical pieces followed by Tarana, a song that portrays the rhythm of Kathak dance.

This is the semi-classical or the "filmy" style performance. The songs are generally centered around the themes of romance and separation which are both deeply emotional topics.  The presentation is a mix of beautiful songs from the movies Padmavaat, Bajirao Mastani and more!

A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. This performance is on "Ranjish Hi Sahi", a  ghazal composed by Ahmed Faraz that reflects separation. 

Thumri is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb "Thumakna"  which means "to walk with dancing steps (source: Wikipedia). This particular thumri depicts the common theme of Radha and Krishna’s devotional love, and is therefore assigned the color Saffron.

The final performance is based on the song "Udi Teri Aankhon Se" from the movie Guzaarish. This song contains many Spanish guitar motifs, and is a combination of Kathak dance and Flamenco.